Nice Boys Don't Kiss Like That
by PhantombMoll
Summary: "Nurse Rolechi if you'll come with me please." Henrik said holding out a hand towards the lift. "This way." Henrik said pressing the button to the top floor. Oh god, this was it. She'd gone to far this time and now she was in trouble. She should have just kept her mouth firmly shut. This fic contains OC/Canon relationships. [Mostly Henrik/OC... little bit of Sacha/OC]
1. Chapter 1

_Disclaimer: This is fanfiction, I'm sure I don't have to give you the low down on what I own and what I don't. All the original characters are mine._

 _Honestly, I've no idea where this fic came from. I ship Sacha with happiness hard. I ship Henrik with happiness too. It's populated with original characters and starts way before the shooting. I watched a lot of Holby and then stopped for a while but I recently started again and I just love it a lot. This all for fun and games and I'm no doctor so forgive my 'tv' medical knowledge :)_

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 _"Life is a highway, I wanna ride it alllll night loonnnggg."_

The perfect song to stride into her new job Guinevere Rolechi thought as she stepped through the sliding door of Holby City hospital. Distracting, which was probably why a rather stern looking man in a car just managed to bump her. Guinevere didn't even bother to take her headphones out. She wasn't about to kill this good vibe. She simply mouthed an apology, smiled and carried on. She knew that Keller was going to be a world away from the Children's ward but that wasn't going to stop her geeing herself up with some upbeat pop songs. No better way to start the day as she was concerned.

 _"If you're going my way, I wanna drive it allll night lonnnggg."_

She sang along, loudly as she entered the lift alone. There wasn't a soul in sight as the doors closed so she felt perfectly justified in letting off some of this excess energy. Air guitaring the moment it started and not feeling the lift come to it's stop.

 _"Life is a highwayyyyy."_

She opened her eyes as she felt her phone vibrate to find a very amused looking Dom stood there with a raised brow.

"Well this is awkward." She grinned sliding a headphone from her ear. "I feel a little bit like the prime minister in Love Actually. At least I'm not doing a Martine McCutcheon, haven't sworn yet, saving that fuck up for later." Guinevere's head dropped back as Dom scoffed out a laugh. "Please tell me you're not the boss, and if you are maybe we can do a deal where you forget this happened and I come back out of the staffroom in ten, fresh and ready for work. Air guitar left in my locker." She joked. Shut up, shut up, shut up. Was all that was running through her head. She could see herself talking and talking bollocks at that, but she just couldn't stop herself.

The lift binged behind her again and Guinevere jumped out of the way as a familiar grumpy looking man stepped out of the lift.

"Good Morning Doctor Copeland." Henrik said stiffly hands behind his back. He looked over at Guinevere who was trying to place the man for a moment. "Ah I see you've met your new team member."

"Hanssen," Guinevere clicked her and pointed at him. "Explains the flash car."

Dom looked between them but Guinevere was quick to correct him before any insinuation could be made.

"He nearly ran me over this morning. Think I'm bruised, maybe there's a claim there." She teased.

"Yes, well Miss Rolechi I do hope you pay better attention to the patients than you do to the road." Henrik replied rather sternly.

"Oh of course, I care about them. Besides a little bit of getting run over in the morning makes the day more exciting." Guinevere replied. Inside she was cringing, telling herself to just stop. Stop right there. Stop talking, stop working, just allow herself to dissolve into a pile of atoms. He couldn't just fire her on the spot could he? At least she hadn't sworn at him. She usually got all the bad ones out in the morning before she went near the kids but around adults she sometimes had the mouth of a sailor.

Dom liked her already, she seemed a little eccentric with dark hair piled and scraped up into what could only be described as a very messy bun. He thought she looked a little Helena Bonham Carter. Especially with the floral scarf tied around her head and the sunglasses on top of that. With her choice of skirts and shirts she was definitely going to get along with Sacha and his eyesore shirts.

"Yes well, lots to do. Perhaps Mr Copeland can show you to the locker room." Hanssen said looking at Dom expectantly.

"Of course." Dom smiled, it wasn't like he'd been about to go down for a coffee or anything anyway. "It's this way." He added taking the lead. "Did he really nearly run you over?" He asked when they were out of earshot of Hanssen.

"To be fair, I don't think I was paying attention. Getting ready for the day." She said tapping her earphones. "At 42 this doesn't happen just by falling out of bed in the morning." She grinned as he leant next to the locker he'd pointed out as hers. "I didn't know it was him. I hope he doesn't hold it against me too much. I swear I'm a good nurse. I haven't killed anyone in years." She laughed and Dom scoffed out a laugh too. Shut up, shut up, shut up. She said to herself. Now was really not the time to introduce someone who'd just met her to her wealth of bad parent jokes.

"You must be replacing Nurse Derry then? Shame really she was lovely. Always baking. You don't bake do you?" He asked hopefully.

"Oh no, no you're joking right. I can only just make beans on toast and even that's pushing it." She joked.

"Shame." Dom sighed. "Back to bourbans and rich tea it is." He pushed himself away from the window and left the staffroom allowing her to get changed in peace.

"Fresh meats in." Dom said to Sacha as he rounded onto the desk and stole the cup of coffee that had been placed unattended on it.

"What's she like? She's not the grumpy one is she. Miss Trunchbull." Sacha asked in hushed tones.

"Seems nice, bit weird, apparently Hanssen nearly ran her over this morning. She doesn't bake I've already asked." Dom said as Sacha let out a groan.

"Suppose it'll be good for the waistline." Sacha said patting his stomach.

"Yeah but the éclairs from downstairs are never ever going to be a patch on those Rosie made. I mean I was hoping for someone who at least made cakes. Everyone makes cakes nowadays don't they?" Dom sipped at the coffee as Sacha crossed his arms over his chest and huffed again.

"If you really want good cake there's this little bakery about fifteen minutes round the corner. Up a side street, you'd never really know it was there to be honest. Their Victoria Sponge could have been baked by Mary Berry herself." Guinevere suddenly appeared in front of them at the reception desk. It looked like she'd attempted to do something more with her hair but it clearly didn't want to behave and so the scarf would have to do at holding it in place.

"Guinevere Rolechi, Miss. New nurse." Guinevere said holding out a hand.

"Guinevere?" Dom questioned, brows pulled together in a way that could have been either confusion or disgust.

"My mum was obsessed with Arthurian legend. I'm just lucky they didn't go with Morgeus. Most people call me Ginny, some people call me Rolli, my granddaughter calls me Innie so, you know take your pick." She shrugged with a smile.

"Sacha Levy, and this is Dom." Sacha said standing up to shake her hand. Dom nodded towards her.

"Boss man, of course." Ginny said.

"So, fresh blood, how are you finding the place?" Sacha asked rubbing his hands together. "Know where everything is?"

"I transferred actually, from Paedeatrics." Ginny replied. "So not entirely fresh blood, I am aware of where the pub is and the cafe which is great because I hate trying to find caffeine at a new job." Ginny beamed from ear to ear and Sacha felt immediately warmed towards her. Her reference from upstairs had apparently been glowing. She had an excellent track record with all her patients and their relatives and Paed's were apparently sad to see her go. He wouldn't admit to it but he still hadn't gotten round to reading the whole thing. He'd been worried she'd be the bulldog.

"Why the move here?" Dom asked lacking tact as usual.

"I was only on Maternity cover upstairs. Thank god my child rearing years are over. Don't get me wrong I love my granchild to pieces but at least I can give her back at the end of the day."

"You're a grandmother!" Dom raised a brow in shock looking her over again.

"I'm going to choose to be flattered by the tone of surprise." She almost smirked and Dom found himself warming to her a little more. "Yes she's four and my son is twenty-five." Ginny admitted giving them a moment to try and guess how young she'd been when she'd had James.

"You wouldn't go back then?" Dom laughed.

"Only to warn myself about being stupid." She said picking up a patient chart off the side and flicking through it.

"The folly of youth." Sacha grinned at her. He liked her already. She was going to be a warm and energetic presence on Keller he could already tell. He'd not been looking forward to finding out which nurse was coming to replace Derry. He'd been warned that a few of the nurses applying for the role were grumpy, strict matronly figures looking to leave a mark and take charge. He didn't want someone like that, they needed someone to fit into the team and do a good job.

"So-" She said holding up her hands. "I'm at your mercy, point me at a patient and I'll see what I can do."

"How do you feel about starting with Mr Brison's boils?" Dom grimaced.

"No challenge to great or to small." Ginny replied with a smile on her face.

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A/N: Enjoyed? Leave a review! :)


	2. Chapter 2

_Disclaimer: This is fanfiction, I'm sure I don't have to give you the low down on what I own and what I don't. All the original characters are mine._

 _Honestly, I've no idea where this fic came from. I ship Sacha with happiness hard. I ship Henrik with happiness too. It's populated with original characters and starts way before the shooting. I watched a lot of Holby and then stopped for a while but I recently started again and I just love it a lot. This all for fun and games and I'm no doctor so forgive my 'tv' medical knowledge :)_

* * *

"Mr Swanson, Mr Levy will come and see you shortly. In the meantime let's get you all set up." Ginny smiled at a rather smart looking man with coiffed hair. He looked like the sort of man who was far too cool and charming for his own good. He was around Ginny's age with gorgeous hazel eyes. Ginny had been at Holby for about two weeks now and already she was making quite the impression. She seemed to get along with everyone and the patients for the most part seemed to like her. There had of course those who took exception to her somewhat exuberent questions. "I'll take your blood pressure and then you can go and get changed into these wonderful hospital clothes." Ginny grinned at him. "Okay, I do admit they're not the most stylish." Ginny added when she noticed the slightly sombre expression on his face.

"Sorry, sorry I jus-" He started.

"It's okay to be nervous." Ginny's enthusiastic expression softened.

"It's not that." Mr Swanson said looking down at his wrist and the bracelet on it. "It's my grand daughters birthday today. She's six, going on sixteen but every year at one o'clock just after cake I tell her a story." Mr Swanson admitted. "It would have been nice to, to give her that story. Just in case." He added.

"Hey, this procedure is so common. Of course there's a chance but you'll be fine. Mr Levy is an excellent surgeon. One of the best." Ginny rubbed his arm reassuringly.

"There's still that what if though." Mr Swanson said, Ginny could see he was really concerned and she understood. If there was even the slimmest of chances it was still a chance. Something Ginny's anxious brain couldn't let her forget. "I feel like I'm losing her, her step grandad is really good with technology. He's there with her today, probably bought her some flash phone or game. I like to see her believing in things though, interacting with the world. Call me old fashioned but I love making up a good story but, well you know kids and their technology"

"I do, I have a granddaughter, she knows more about how to work my phone than I do. It's scary." Ginny shook her head and put away the blood pressure monitor making a note on Mr Swanson's chart. "Let me see what I can do, you go and get these on and maybe we can still give her a story."

"What's up with your face?" Ginny asked Dom as he came out from behind the curtains that had been drawn around his mother.

"Nothing a few years of therapy won't cure." Dom retorted. "I really wasn't ready to learn that much about my ancient parent's sex life." Dom said rubbing his forehead gently.

"It doesn't just dry up and turn to dust when you get old you know. You should count yourself lucky your parents still love each other enough to try." Ginny said.

"Yes but I don't want to think about them- tying." Dom winced. "Besides it's depressing to find out your mother has a better sex life than you."

"Even more depressing when you consider the booming gay scene and the fact you're very handsome." Ginny said.

"And when was the last time you got your end away anyway. You've been here, what, two weeks now and I've not heard you mention anything about an other half, dating." Dom narrowed his eyes at her.

"I don't need an other half, besides those days are probably behind me. I'm more, a Bridget Jones spinster than single and ready to mingle. Not that I don't take opportunities when they're presented." Ginny replied shaking her head gently.

"And have you seen any opportunities you'd like to present themselves around here?" Dom asked giving her a nudge.

"No." Ginny replied bluntly. "But then again I'm not looking-" She added taking a patients chart off the desk and turning away from him.

She wasn't looking that was true. If she was she imagined that Mr Levy would probably be her type. He was well built, a little podgy, thick head of hair and he had a wonderful sense of humour that matched her own. She wasn't looking though and Sacha was also still madly in love with Essie. They'd apparently been very much in love when they were together and had only split because they wanted different things. It was nice, Ginny liked seeing things like that. It reminded her that there was some good in the world. Not every relationship had to end in drama, cheating, things being thrown across the room.

"Mr Swanson." Ginny said approaching Mr Swanson some time later. "I have an idea about your dilemma. Your granddaughters birthday." Ginny smiled at him. "I know you're no good with technology but luckily for you I am and I have an app that could help." Ginny said pulling out her phone. "I can set up a video call for you."

"She's only young, I don't want her to see me in hospital." Mr Swanson admitted.

"And that, is why we have this." Ginny grinned tapping her phone and bringing up an app that transformed the area surrounding Mr Swanson into a fantasy setting. "Now you can choose which adventure you're on, tell her only you could save the world because it was just too dangerous."

"Are you sure?" Mr Swanson asked, the glint in his eyes said that he needed this though.

"Of course I'm sure." Ginny said. "I've also managed to get them to push your surgery back. Swap a few things around. So, you can have your story time with her and then we'll take you into surgery afterwards. You'll be back to her in no time. Now I'll let you have a look at it and I'll be back in a minute to help once you've got your story ready." Ginny walked over to the desk with his chart, glancing back over to see her phone in safe hands.

"You appear to be making patients happy all around today Miss Rolechi." Hanssen said suddenly appearing from nowhere.

"Jiminy Cricket do you just enjoy creeping up on people." Ginny nearly jumped out of her skin. "That's the third time this week, I'm sure you're trying to make some sort of point." Ginny teased.

"Yes, well-" Henrik rocked on the balls of his feet. "How did you persuade Mrs Nerrise to move her surgery?"

"I made her feel important and valued." Ginny winked at him. "I told her she was being moved up so a more senior surgeon could operate. And it turns out I wasn't lying because you stepped in anyway."

"All worked out in the end then." Henrik's mouth just twitched at a smile. He had to admit that Nurse Rolechi had left quite the impression on him. Even though she was respectful around him, she still treated him differently to the other members of staff. She spoke to him in a way it seemed some people were afraid too. It was actually something similar that he liked about Mr Levy too. She was an intriguing character. If not bordering on the ridiculous at times, from what he'd seen. He couldn't get the measure of her immediately and it intrigued him.

"Well yes, now Mr Swanson gets to tell his granddaughter her story. Mrs Nerrise tells her, government dwelling son how fabulous the staff were at Holby and I get something out of it but I'm not sure what-" Ginny said looking up at him with a finger hovering over lip as though she were deep in thought. "Oh, of course-" Ginny said clicking her fingers. "That warm fuzzy feeling that comes from doing something nice for someone."

"I'm not sure on fuzzy feelings but I'm sure Mr Swanson appreciates being able to call his Granddaughter." Henrik said. "Though he could have called her after the surgery."

"It's a tradition, every year at one after cake he tells her a story. Flies back from wherever he is just to see her. And as much faith as I have in everyone here there's still a chance. A 0.00000001 percent chance is still a chance." Ginny looked away from him feeling uncomfortable. She rubbed at the back of her neck and looked down at some notes in front of her, she tapped the front of the file twice and then took herself back over to Mr Swanson to help him with the video.

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A/N: Enjoyed? Leave a review! :)


	3. Chapter 3

_Disclaimer: This is fanfiction, I'm sure I don't have to give you the low down on what I own and what I don't. All the original characters are mine._

 _Honestly, I've no idea where this fic came from. I ship Sacha with happiness hard. I ship Henrik with happiness too. It's populated with original characters and starts way before the shooting. I watched a lot of Holby and then stopped for a while but I recently started again and I just love it a lot. This all for fun and games and I'm no doctor so forgive my 'tv' medical knowledge :)_

* * *

"They're actually all really nice mum. Not a pole up the arse in site." Ginny said into her mobile phone. Sacha bumping her arm as he passed. "Well except this one older Surgeon with greying hair." Ginny teased, waving to Essie, Raf and Dom as they passed her and she stopped at a bench to carry on her conversation.

"I'm enjoying it actually." She said clambering up onto the table to sit down and almost toppling over. "I mean I miss being with the kids but the teams a really good group of people. I suppose the shops picked up a bit more trade now?" Ginny asked pulling her hand away from the table sharply and then investigating her hand for a splinter.

Unbeknownst to her she was being watched from a window by Henrik. He'd been travelling down the corridor when he'd seen her jumping on the table with a more youthful bounce than she was perhaps actually graced with. She seemed to have fit right in on Keller and left quite the impression on her fellow hospital staff members if the idle gossip of the corridors after her first night were anything to go by. Up on tables at Albie's and stealing a microphone by all accounts.

She was a strange creature. She could be ridiculous and say entirely the wrong thing one moment and the next she would be referencing Shakespeare. She seemed to be able to turn her hand to any generation with the drop of a hat. Her attitudes and moods were as infectious as Mr Levy's which were evened out on the ward by Nurse Harrison, Doctor Copeland and Nurse Chiltern. Her clumsiness it seemed was something of a running joke amongst any staff she'd worked with. Including Dr Thompson from the ENT ward. Who had apparently offered any number of tests too check for inner ear problems had found nothing.

Henrik was intrigued by her. It wasn't unusual for him to be intrigued by his staff, especially someone who caught his interest. Someone who he couldn't quite figure out. People like Miss Naylor, Mr Levy, Nurse Fletcher were in a way easy to understand. Miss Naylor was prickly but there was a heart beneath that shear determination. Mr Levy was a loveable teddy bear with a fierce passion that ran through his veins and Nurse Fletcher was at times too honest for his own good.

Nurse Rolechi was, well she was not so straight forward and he wanted to understand what made her tick. Career? Family? Friends? A selfish need to be the best? Attention? Of course you couldn't fully understand the way a person ticked until you got to know them.

Henrik couldn't explain why he was drawn to her. In fact years ago this is something he would have actively fought against for fear of what it might lead to. Now though he was embracing his want for human contact, no matter how unworthy he might see himself. He had learnt over time that perhaps distance was not always necessary. He would never go so far to say that he found Nurse Rolechi, attractive, but- perhaps there was something there.

"How's your mum?" Essie asked as she signed off some patient notes and started to have a look on the computer.

"She's life of the party as always. She's over in Marbella, she has an alternative therapy shop over there right in the heart of a geriatric community." Ginny replied, piling up empty kidney dishes on the side. "She loves it." Ginny added.

"Alternative therapy?" Essie asked.

"Yeah, Crystals, positive thinking, I think there's a woman started working for her who does acupuncture and they have a lot of herbal stuff. I mean the way I see it, even if it's just a placebo effect it's something. Especially if it's helping." Ginny replied.

"Has she always been into that stuff?"

"Oh yeah, god she's a big hippie. Sort of where I get the dress sense from." Ginny let out a laugh. "She was a GP for years over here before she retired. She's not completely off her rocker. She knows that alternative medicine can't cure everything." Ginny fiddled with the edge of her bracelet for a moment before diving behind the counter. Essie looked down the corridor and then right back at Ginny trying to work out what was going on. "I'm not here." Ginny hissed. Starting to crawl away quickly on her hands and knees and coming to a stop in front of two pairs of feet. She looked up to see Hanssen and Sacha staring down at her. Sacha looking more amused than Henrik. Both were expecting her to jump up and apologise but her reaction was quite the opposite.

"I'm not here." She repeated crawling around them. Sacha let out a laugh, glancing over at Essie who was shrugging. Not entirely sure why Ginny had suddenly dropped to the floor. Henrik continued to watch her disappear around the corner into the staffroom.

"I'm looking for Nurse Rolechi." A smooth voice at the nurses station said and all three of them looked up to see Mr Swanson who'd been admitted a week before. He was looking even more dapper than he had in his hospital scrubs and he was holding a bunch of flowers and a bottle bag.

"She-" Henrik began but Essie cut him off.

"She's not here at the moment. With a patient." Essie smiled. "Do you want us to give her a message?"

Mr Swanson sighed and ran fingers through his slightly unruly salt and pepper hair. Essie couldn't help noting that he was rather attractive. Something it seemed that Dom had noticed too as he'd come back around to the desk to see what was going on.

"Perhaps our meeting again is just not meant to be, which is a shame. I was hoping to speak to her before I have to fly out to California." Mr Swanson admitted. "I wanted to thank her for everything she did. Maybe take her out for dinner as a thank you. The least I can do really."

"Oh I'm sure it's all in a days work for Nurse Rolechi." Henrik replied bluntly.

"I'm sure she'll be back around-" Dom began and Essie nudged him hard.

"I'm sure we can pass on a message." She said with a smile.

"Or- perhaps you could give me a way to get in contact with her?" Swanson tried his look and Sacha stepped up. "Wouldn't want to stand in the way of potential love would you?" He leaned on the desk in a way that seemed like he was trying to charm them. In actual fact though it seemed to be having the opposite effect on everyone.

"Sorry Mr Swanson, we can't do that. We'll be sure to give her your thanks and the flowers." Sacha smiled at Mr Swanson, who sighed again. With a thank you he sloped off out of the ward and towards the exit.

"Is he gone?" Ginny hissed from behind the staffroom door.

"Give it a minute." Dom replied. As much as Henrik wanted to stay and find out exactly what was going on he decided to go off on a prowling tour of the corridor instead. He had no interest in whether Miss Rolechi was having flings, just so long as the flings were not current patients.

"Oh thank god." Ginny said sliding into a chair and staring at the flowers as though they might suddenly go all Little Shop of Horrors and try and eat her.

"He was very handsome." Essie said giving her a look that suggested Ginny had been giving Mr Swanson a taste of a more intimate bedside manner. Ginny sighed rolling her eyes.

"Rich too." Dom said pulling out the bottle from the bag. It was a bottle of very expensive gin. "These weren't cheap either." He said going over the flowers.

"I didn't do anything!" Ginny said to their expectant faces. "At all."

"Well you must have done something." Dom pulled out a box of very expensive chocolates and raised a brow at her.

"I think he got the wrong idea. I was just being nice that's all. I helped him with his granddaughter and then he mentioned something about a restaurant in town-" Ginny put her head in her hands. "I made it very clear he was a patient. He was all, well when I'm not- and I just said we'd cross that bridge when we came to it, you know to shut him up. I didn't think he'd see it as a bloody green light."

"And you're not even tempted?" Dom asked.

"Even I'm tempted." Sacha said letting out a laugh as he read the note with the flowers. "Just for the food. It's really hard to get a table at Rasher's."

"No, no I'm not tempted and you're welcome to go in my place." Ginny suggested to Sacha.

"Hmm, I might be tempted." Dom said stealing the card from Sacha and reading it.

"If you see him again just warn me. Please." Ginny shook her head and wandered over to where Henrik was talking to a patient. She'd been meaning to bring something to his attention about Mrs Aberforth's breathing before she went in for her operation.

* * *

"Nurse Rolechi? Is there a particular reason you're stood in the cold reading?" Hanssen asked stepping out of the side door and standing next to Ginny who had her head buried in Frankenstein, he'd learnt over the weeks that reading seemed to be a passion of hers. She seemed to get through at least one if not two books a week and it had led to her having a wide collection of strange knowledge. Which she proceeded to drop into conversations with staff and patients alike at the most random of times. It looked like she was trying to hide, just as much as she was trying to read, the book almost shielding her face. "Surely you'd be more comfortable inside?"

"Maybe I like the atmosphere, adds to the reading experience." She replied, corner of her mouth twisting up slightly. She shifted her weight and tucked her coat more tightly around her. "You know, cold empty tower. Cold empty underpass. Secluded, exactly the sort of place you meet a strange man with a strange temperament." She gestured around with the book in hand, her eyes flicking up to him for a moment. That twist of a smile still on her face, suggesting she was teasing him.

"One might come to the conclusion that you're hiding." Henrik said. Ginny sighed and closed her book looking up at him.

"It's not exactly a difficult conclusion, considering you were there before when my, uhm, admirer once again turned up on Keller and is probably still sat in the cafe." Ginny replied.

"And people say romance is dead." Henrik's face just twitched at a smile and Ginny had the urge to hit him very hard with her book. Something she resisted.

"It's not romance. I don't like him, I don't think I ever gave him that impression. Oh god are there other people with this impression of me? Assuming that I bloody fancy them because I was a little bit nice." Ginny pressed her palm against her forehead and Henrik tilted his head looking at her for a moment. "You'd think I'd love this, I mean there's a man out there who'd come back three times to see me and he knew me for what a couple of hours."

"Yes- well-" Henrik replied not entirely sure what to say right now. He wasn't about to comment on whether or not she should be loving this. "Actually Nurse Rolechi, I can't think of anything worse then unwanted attention. Especially persistent unwanted attention."

"Attention like that, it just makes me uncomfortable." Ginny admitted. "Mr Swanson is a perfectly lovely man, and he's not exactly doing anything wrong but I'm just not interested and although the fantasy of a very rich man with a granddaughter who loves him is lovely. It's just- it's all a bit false. And honestly I think he probably sees me as some sort of weird project or 'different' to him as though I'm suddenly going to make his life more exciting." Ginny rambled on and Henrik just let her feeling amused and a little sorry for her. "It's ridiculous, I don't have an exciting life. I just have verbal diarrhoea and I'm clumsy." Ginny added clearly frustrated to the point she'd started to pace.

Henrik actually let out an audible laugh at that. It was actually what she needed, that laugh because now she could laugh at herself and she did. She tilted her head back and rubbed the back of her neck.

She was especially attractive when she was in good humour, a twinkle in her eye. She had beautiful eyes and a beautiful infectious smile as far as Henrik was concerned. Not that he would tell her that of course, it would be entirely inappropriate.

"Oh god-" Ginny said looking over his shoulder to see Mr Swanson. "Kiss me." Ginny said. Henrik looked entirely taken aback. "On the cheek just on the cheek."

"Miss Rolechi, I hardly think that-" Henrik started, as Ginny looked slightly more desperate. Glancing at him and then back over his shoulder to where he assumed Mr Swanson was prowling.

"Please, he'll get the message loud and clear. Just a quick peck on the cheek to deter him."

"And telling him no is out of the question I suppose?" Henrik replied, eyebrows almost through the roof at the suggestion.

"I've already told him no. Why do you think I'm hiding? I told him I didn't want to go to a bloody restaurant with him." Ginny hissed as Mr Swanson came closer. "I'm not asking you to stick your tongue in my mouth!"

"This is definitely not the way to-" Henrik began.

"Henrik!" Ginny exclaimed. Henrik found himself taken aback by her sudden commanding tone. Yet at the same time he seemed to soften and a part of him was ready to obey.

"Oh alright." Henrik replied in exasperation. He leaned down to kiss her on the cheek when Ginny turned her lips into his and put a hand on his cheek giving him a full on kiss. As shocked as Henrik was he was also found that he didn't object as much as he'd thought he would. Had he been more disgusted by the turn of events he would have recoiled and pointed out that the way of avoiding someone else's attentions was not to force her own on someone else. Henrik was surprised, after the initial shock, that he quite enjoyed being kissed by Nurse Rolechi. It made a heat rise in him that he thought had long since been quelled. It seemed his brain had ceased to communicate properly because it was Nurse Rolechi who pulled away from him when really it should have been the other way round.

"Mr Swanson." Ginny pulled back, from a flustered Henrik and grabbed his hand, in a way that suggested this sort of affection was entirely usual between them. "I didn't realise you were back in the hospital?"

"Actually I was looking for you." Mr Swanson admitted eyeing Henrik sceptically. Puffing out his chest in a way that had Henrik's lips twitching at a smirk. Clearly Mr Swanson thought himself the better specimen of the two of them.

"Oh- really?" Ginny asked pretending not to have any idea that he'd spent the better half of three hours hanging around waiting for her.

"Just wanted to thank you for everything you did." He said trying to play cool. "Before I fly off to California, business dealings you know." He said, trying and failing to charm her.

"Oh it was nothing, all in days work. Thank you though." Ginny smiled at him. "We." She gestured to Henrik. "We better get back inside surgery to do." Ginny said before giving Mr Swanson another smile and disappearing into the side door.

Henrik stood there for a moment not entirely sure what to do with himself and feeling entirely awkward what with Mr Swanson looking him over, his head swimming in conflict and the fluster that had come from this spark of feeling she had incited in him.

"I should-" Henrik said rubbing the back of his neck. "Nice to see you again Mr Swanson." Henrik nodded his head before disappearing inside. His head was swimming, how exactly was he supposed to react in this situation? Chase her down and reprimand her? Ask her about what had just happened? She'd only kissed him because she was trying to deter Mr Swanson. Yet Henrik felt something, there was a small part of him that had wanted to continue kissing Miss Rolechi. That would very much like to kiss her again, not that he was ready to admit anything close to that.

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A/N: Enjoyed? Leave a review! :)


	4. Chapter 4

_Disclaimer: This is fanfiction, I'm sure I don't have to give you the low down on what I own and what I don't. All the original characters are mine._

 _Honestly, I've no idea where this fic came from. I ship Sacha with happiness hard. I ship Henrik with happiness too. It's populated with original characters and starts way before the shooting. I watched a lot of Holby and then stopped for a while but I recently started again and I just love it a lot. This all for fun and games and I'm no doctor so forgive my 'tv' medical knowledge :)_

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Ginny got about halfway up the stairs to Keller before she actually realised what she'd done. When she did she stopped, her mouth dropped open and she was chanting no as though it were her own personal spell, she went back down five stairs. Then returned up five stairs, before going back down another four and then up another five. She had her head in her hands in a panic.

She'd just snogged Hanssen. Not even a mutual snog, not even a snog he'd wanted. She'd just lurched at him like some sort of prey animal. Of all the people she could have snogged to deter another man- of all the people she could have asked for help. She'd chosen Hanssen, she'd chosen the bloody CEO of the hospital. She was panicking now, inside her chest was a mess and there was a lump forming in her throat, constricting it as the realisation of what she'd done washed over her.

It hadn't been a fit of passion. He literally could have been anyone. She had just wanted Mr Swanson to be deterred. To take the message.

Oh god. What on Earth had she done, could he fire her for this? Could he reprimand her. There was a little part of her mind that smirked at the idea of him reprimanding her. She couldn't say she didn't fancy him of course. Henrik was like a tall brooding Mr Darcy figure. Wandering around the wards with his good heart wrapped up behind layers of icy cold swede. He was attractive, she hadn't really seen it the first week she'd been there. He'd sort of irritated her and she was determined not to be as scared of him as everyone else was. He was actually, as she'd come to realise as she got to know the team better, those closer to him, a good man. He was a man of deep passions and she appreciated that. He also had a wry sense of humour.

She hadn't kissed him because she'd been dying to kiss him though. She hadn't even entertained the idea, she'd only kissed him because he was there.

As soon as she got back onto Keller she was pulled between patients and all matter of drama meaning she was too busy to even notice if Hanssen had appeared back on the ward. Which she didn't think he had and she was glad for it.

She was grateful that she didn't see him at all for the rest of the evening and he wasn't in Albie's either which was a great relief.

"Aha! There you are, we thought you'd decided not to come." Sacha said holding out a drink for her. Essie, Dom and Lofty were deep in conversation with Fletch and Ollie.

"Wardrobe malfunction." Ginny admitted with a frown.

"Everything okay? You seemed a little flustered earlier. Mr Swanson's not still hanging around is he?" Sacha asked with a raised brow.

"Oh my god-" Ginny winced and seemed to curl inwards on herself. "No, no he's gone and I may have done something incredibly stupid to get rid of him." Ginny closed her eyes and screwed up her face.

"Not killed him have you?" Sacha asked on a laugh. Ginny grabbed his arm and dragged to a more secluded corner. Which for just a beat panicked Sacha that she might have actually done something as stupid as giving him a whack. Whatever he was imagining though, he never in a million years would have guessed the next words to come out of her mouth.

"I kissed Hanssen." She said quickly.

"WHAT?" Sacha shouted, drawing a little attention and causing Ginny to slap his arm and shush him.

"I kissed Hanssen." Ginny said.

"What do you mean you kissed Hanssen?" Sacha's expression was bewilderment and Ginny took a very big sip of her drink before closing her eyes again for a moment.

"I told him to kiss me on the cheek and then I full on snogged him to try and deter Mr Swanson." Ginny said quickly. "Honestly I don't know what I was thinking. Men like Mr Swanson just don't take no at face value." Ginny added. "Oh god he's going to fire me." Ginny said closing his eyes.

"I don't think he can fire you. Possible sexual assault charges." Sacha was teasing but Ginny's expression dropped.

"I never thought of that. I didn't force him though I just sort of took him by surprise." She bit down on her lip hard. "I need another drink." She said finishing her own and then taking a drink of Sacha's.

She liked Sacha, she liked all the new people she'd gotten to work with but she'd found that she'd just clicked with Sacha. She found herself trusting him immediately. They shared humour, things in common, tastes and even obscure references to things. He was just such a warm lovable character how could anyone not like him?

"What- how?" Sacha's bewilderment was clearly not dissipating.

"I just- Mr Swanson came around the corner and I asked him to kiss me on the cheek and then I just sort of- turned my head and snogged him instead. To be fair he could have been anyone. I mean I wish it had been someone else. It was just impulse, not even impulse because I was drunk or feeling overly friendly just quick thinking. It could have been anyone, it could have been you. In fact I wish it had been you because it wouldn't be as weird." Ginny rambled on and all Sacha could do was laugh. Almost bent double.

"I mean it would have been weird but I imagine you would have brushed it off and thought nothing of it the way I did. Until I was halfway up the stairs to Keller." Ginny continued bashing her forehead. "Oh god what have I done." She groaned slumping against the wall as Sacha put a hand on her shoulder. His own shoulders continuing to shake with laughter.

"What possessed you to even consider that as a good idea?" Sacha asked.

"I didn't think. I just- I thought if he saw me snogging someone that Mr Swanson would get the message and now I may have given Hanssen a completely different message." She repeated. "I need another drink, what do you want?" Ginny asked him, he'd barely finished his first but she was already up to the bar and ordering.

"Let me ask you this." Sacha said leaning in slightly so the conversation was just between the two of them. "Mr Swanson aside, would you have ever thought about kissing him?" Sacha asked after she'd returned with their drinks.

"I'm not going to lie Sacha he is attractive. I mean come on. He's all brooding and dark but there's a heart under there. But I think you're attractive. In fact there a lot of attractive people working at this hospital. Doesn't mean I'm looking to snog them all." She said taking a drink. Sacha rolled his eyes slightly shaking his head once again. He was a little taken aback by her frankness if he was honest, but he was quickly finding that Ginny was frank about a lot of things, others often got embarrassed about.

"I do this all the time." Ginny sighed.

"What snogging CEO'S?" Sacha asked her.

"No, I either don't think at all or I overthink everything." Ginny admitted.

"The trouble with anxious minds." Sacha replied. As Ginny finished another drink, it had definitely been one of those days and Sacha definitely believed that she was in need of them.

"Oh god." Ginny said with a big sigh. "I need to go and apologise."

"What, no, just wait until the morning." Sacha said shaking his head.

"No, I'll have thought about it too much by then and the dutch courage will have left my system. He'll still be up there rattling around like some bloody vampire. I'll just- I've already made enough of a fool of myself today. What's another little bit added to the pile. Then at least I can start tomorrow fresh." Ginny sighed again got up. "Wish me luck?"

"Well if I don't see you tomorrow I know where to direct the police." Sacha laughed simply shaking his head at her.

"Yeah the car park because I'll have thrown myself off the roof." She joked shaking her head and walking out of Albie's, heading back to the hospital. Ginny disappeared back up to the staffroom on Keller and decided the least she could do was utilise her gifts as some sort of apology.

It was with a slightly heavy heart and dutch courage in her veins that she went up to Henrik's office. There was barely any one around at this time in the evening and she was grateful for that. It was the first time she'd been up to his office and she had no idea the excuse she'd use for being there. She hesitated at his door. Opening the gin and taking a big swig, it was bloody good, really good. She took another for good measure stuck the cork back in and then took a deep breath and knocked on the door.

"Come in." She heard Henrik say and she could already feel the awkwardness rising in her. At least she wasn't blushing.

"Mr Hanssen." Ginny said as she pushed the door open. "Oh-" She said taking in the sparse cosiness of the office. It wasn't entirely what she'd imagined and it had taken her back.

"Miss Rolechi." Hanssen replied only glancing up at her and then back down at whatever he was working on. Henrik felt embarrassment well inside him and he was torn between wanting to bristle at her. Make it clear she was not welcome and then hear her out. He kept coming back to the kiss, not because it was particularly amazing, just because it had made him feel something. It had given a burst of life to the simmering attraction that he'd been trying to ignore. Now he was torn between allow that fire to kindle or stamping it out into ashes completely.

"Do you like gin?" She asked holding up the bottle.

"Gin?" Henrik asked not entirely sure the direction the conversation was going.

"Call it an-" Ginny paused searching for the right word. "apology? A thankyou?" She watched his expression and decided on one. "An apology."

"An apology." Henrik said only just making eye contact. Ginny was starting to wonder whether she'd dreamt what had happened before. The little voice was nagging at her that she'd imagined it.

"For before." Ginny said, feeling her nerve shake and swallowing. "When I-"

"When you pounced." Henrik suddenly piped up and Ginny noticed he'd pulled two glasses from somewhere and there was a wry smile on his face.

"I didn't pounce." Ginny reacted feeling herself relax. "I seized an opportunity to make a point and save myself."

"Oh is that what they're calling it when someone pounces now." Henrik replied. Ginny couldn't deny that she liked that half smile on his face. She liked the way his lips would twitch as he tried and failed to remain entirely stoic and professional.

"Again I didn't pounce, if I'd truly pounced you'd know about it." Ginny said without thinking. There was a silence in the room for a moment. Henrik's mind flashed with what exactly Nurse Rolechi pouncing would look like. He shut the thought down before it got anywhere past tie pulling.

"It seems you left quite the impression on Mr Swanson." Henrik said inspecting the bottle of gin.

"Chocolates a bit cheap." Ginny admitted raising a brow. She exchanged a look with Henrik before starting to laugh, he seemed to find it as amusing as her and she was grateful. Clearly he understood that the kiss had not been a fit of passion and he was acting a lot- well better than she'd been expecting. In fact he was taking it all in excellent humour and unfortunately that was making him more attractive.

"If you want my honest opinion Miss Rolechi, I don't think you gave him the wrong impression. In my experience men like Mr Swanson assume that their charm and money will get them anything they want." Henrik poured them both out a drink.

"Dated a lot of them have you?" Ginny retorted.

"No, I have known a lot of them though." He said.

"I hate things like that." Ginny admitted after another moment of silence. "Just serves as a reminder of just how badly people can misconstrue- kindness."

"You mean men." Henrik pointed out. For he was most certainly not unaware of male locker-room talk about women asking for it because they'd been polite, because they smiled, because they befriended men.

"No, no I don't mean men because women do it to." Ginny rebuffed. "I shouldn't have to kiss someone else to get someone to leave me alone though."

"Yes, well the less said about that the better." Henrik replied sipping from his own tumbler. Ginny laughed and shook her head again.

"I am sorry." She added. "To be fair I was enjoying my book before you came out, if you'd just left me to read you wouldn't have been pounced on."

"Is it your first time reading?" Henrik asked deciding to put the kiss to bed before any more feelings could be allowed to build regarding it.

"What, ever?" Ginny asked pretending offence. "It is actually. Frankenstein I mean, I don't know how I missed it to be honest. I just never got around to reading it in my youth. I think I was too busy with fairy tales and Sherlock Holmes."

"Do you tend to read the foreword?" Henrik asked.

"Not really. Well, that's not entirely true. If it's something I've read before I will but if it's something I'm picking up for the first time and there are essays worth of foreword at the front I tend to skip it. I want to have this experience that's unencumbered by someone else's analysis if that makes sense?" Ginny replied.

"Indeed. There is a very interesting foreword, or essay as we might call it written by an author called Lawrence Threshbourne. You should read it, after you've finished Frankenstein of course." Henrik leant back in his chair slightly and Ginny enjoyed seeing him relax. It was a side of him that she imagined very few saw.

"I fear you'll have to remind me about that." Ginny said.

"I will endeavour too." Henrik replied with a soft barely there smile and he meant it. He would endeavour to remind her of it and to discuss it with her at some point.

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A/N: Enjoyed? Leave a review! :)


	5. Chapter 5

_Disclaimer: This is fanfiction, I'm sure I don't have to give you the low down on what I own and what I don't. All the original characters are mine._

 _Honestly, I've no idea where this fic came from. I ship Sacha with happiness hard. I ship Henrik with happiness too. It's populated with original characters and starts way before the shooting. I watched a lot of Holby and then stopped for a while but I recently started again and I just love it a lot. This all for fun and games and I'm no doctor so forgive my 'tv' medical knowledge :)_

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"Ergh how can you be doing that at this time?" Ginny shouted to Sacha and Dom as they ran passed her. She knew the fun run was coming up but all this preparation was ridiculous, who was running around this early in a morning? And so chipper. Then again she supposed they hadn't been up watching Bridget Jones and crying into a G&T until 3am.

"Not forgotten the practice run later have you?" Sacha asked flashing her a grin that said he already knew she'd forgotten about it.

"That's not today!" She said rubbing her forehead.

"Erm it is !" Sacha replied.

"Oh well-" Ginny started but before she could finish that thought Dom cut her off.

"Not backing out are you Ginny?" Dom had a wry smile on his face. Ginny on the other hand looked like she was groaning on the inside and wishing the ground would swallow her whole. She was never one to back down from a challenge which was the whole reason she'd ended up agreeing to the fun run in the first place.

"No, no course not. Can't think of anything I'd rather do." She replied sarcastically. As Dom and Sacha took a corner and she strayed into the hospital corridors. She'd rather be at home, curled up with a strong coffee and a good book than running round Holby. It was for a good cause though and she never could resist something done for a good cause.

Just for fun – that made her laugh considering how hard she'd seen people training and how competitive they seemed to be getting. She was going to end up lagging at the back and not finishing for at least 3 hours. Probably. Unless there was some real incentive to keep up with everyone. Like a hottie. A Mr Tall Dark and Handsome she wanted to keep in her sights. She highly doubted it though and come to think of it she didn't really want toned and muscled. She'd rather brains over brawn.

Ginny got herself a strong coffee when she got onto the ward and decided that this was the best course of action to deal with the hangover she was currently nursing. Not that anyone could really tell. She popped a few parcetamol and decided to pull up her big girl pants and get on with the rest of the day.

There was a part of her that was beginning to think a run in the morning might have been a good idea to blow the cobwebs away, the sun was shining but the wind had just enough chill to keep her awake and that's exactly what she wanted and why she'd come outside to read. She'd moved on from Frankenstein to Dracula, which she had already read, several times, evidenced by the weather beaten look of her book. Ginny was mid page when she felt a presence opposite her. Which was surprising because she'd thought she'd chosen a rather secluded table, where she wouldn't be bothered, or certainly not found for the duration of her lunch hour.

"Henrik" She said looking up at him from her book, thankful that he was blocking out the sun because despite the fact her hangover had abated she feared the bright sunshine would set off her headache again.

Henrik had to admit that he liked the fact she didn't address him as Mr Hanssen. It was a familiarity that he was comfortable with. More comfortable than he imagined he'd be. With that comfort it brought the fact he felt comfortable calling her Guinevere. So it wasn't Ginny or any form of nickname but it was the closest he would ever get and Ginny was flattered because he didn't seem to use first names an awful lot. Unless of course they sounded terribly old fashioned.

"Guinevere. I believe I gave promise of this." He said putting down a very battered copy of Frankenstein on the table. "It seems you've moved on to darker pastures though." He added.

"Oh this!" She said holding up Dracula by the spine., "Well yes. I think I'm going to try to get through all the big monster ones over summer. Dracula, The Mummy, Dorian Gray, Jekyll and Hyde." She admitted. "But of course now I have this I'll be moving onto this next. Will be good to read the essay after a break from the book."

"There's more than one in there." Henrik admitted.

"I'll be sure to read them all then. I'm actually rather surprised at how dog- I mean well read this looks. I thought your books would look like those in your office pristine." Ginny grinned at him and he could tell she was teasing, again.

"Well this was bought second hand." He admitted, actually he'd read this a lot in his youth too so there was that.

"I imagine you can read a book front to back and have it look brand new and untouched at the end." Ginny said watching his reaction.

"Well I wouldn't say untouched, accidents do happen after all." Henrik replied. "I like a clean book. I don't see why you would take any less care of that than you would a mobile or piece of memorbilla." Henrik said.

"This-" Ginny said holding up her battered copy of Dracula. "-my good man is loved." She declared. "Read thousands of times, passed down from one generation to another. This has been read in all sorts of places. Not just sat behind a desk."

"I imagine it has-" Henrik raised a brow and Ginny let out a half laugh at his attempt to tease.

"And what delicacy are you having for lunch today?" Ginny asked peering at the small tupperware box with interest. "Something that's going to make me recoil in horror?"

"I'm not a cannibal Guinevere." Henrik replied giving her an unamused look.

"I think cannibalism would be more acceptable than some of the stuff I've heard you've eaten." Guinevere said shaking her head.

"Well I'm glad my reputation precedes me. What pray tell are you having for lunch?" He asked, Ginny hadn't really thought to hard about lunch this morning. She'd just grabbed one of the prepacked tupperware tubs from in the fridge and headed out.

"Well it was just going to be salad and a bit of rice but I may or may not have been to the bakery round the corner." She gestured to her coffee and the eclair sat in the cake box on the table.

"I can see why you chose such a secluded spot now." Henrik teased gesturing to the cake with his own fork. Ginny leaned up slightly to see that his tupperware box was filled with nothing more than salad and she imagined there was some meat buried in there.

"I'm not entirely against sharing. I don't think I'll finish it on my own anyway." She pushed the box into the centre of the table. Henrik appeared to have decided to take lunch at her table and in Ginny's eyes this only furthered the invitation.

Over lunch they discussed a number of topics ranging from books to food and even books about food. Ginny confessed to Henrik that whilst her mother had been an excellent cook the gene hadn't been passed on. She wasn't quite as bad as she might have first made out though, she had a few skills in the kitchen. Casserole and Lasagne being just two of the dishes she could whip up and she admitted she was a pretty dab hand with pasta. Henrik on the other hand seemed to be an old hat in the kitchen and Ginny went so far as to suggest, jokingly, of course, that he broaden the horizon of her tastebuds sometime.

Ginny was glad that no one from Keller was around to hear that one because they would have given her hell for it later. After lunch Henrik retreated back to his office and Ginny returned to her duties on Keller, where she was in for a surprise that she hadn't been expecting.

"Here she comes!" Essie beamed from behind the nurses station. Ginny was a little confused by her enthusiasm and with Sacha across the room a little self conscious that maybe he'd said something to her about Henrik and that maybe someone had seen them having lunch. If that was the case she wanted to make it quite clear that nothing was going on. She didn't even like Henrik in that way, of course he was attractive, especially when he did that thing where he was clearly trying not to smile, but that was beside the point. Even if she did find him in any way attractive it wasn't like Henrik Hanssen would ever look twice at her.

"Well, I mean I was expecting a bit more of a reaction." Ginny pulled herself from worry to look at the person the voice belonged to.

"Jamie! What on Earth are you doing here?" Ginny asked, hurrying her steps to him as he got up and embracing him with a big hearty hug. "You're supposed to be starting your new job, what's happened? It's not Alf is it?" Ginny asked pulling back from the hug to look him up and down.

"Mum, I'm at my new job." Jamie said matter of factly. Ginny suddenly looked slightly irritated and smacked his arm.

"Why didn't you bloody well tell me it was here!" She growled at him.

"Because then I couldn't make an entrance could I?" He grinned in return and dodged another whack. "Essie's just been telling me all about you causing havoc in- what was it called Alfie's?"

"Albie's." Essie corrected before dashing off when an alarm sounded.

"Aren't you supposed to be on maternity." Ginny asked him. Jamie was taller than her by at least a foot. He was slender where his mother curved but he'd inherited her hair and it seemed that his also refused to stay where it had been put. He was dressed in the scrubs of the maternity ward and already looked settled in the hospital.

"On a break so I thought I'd pop down and surprise you." Jamie smiled back at her.

"Taking advantage already?" Ginny raised a brow. "Don't think your boss will be impressed."

"I know, she seems a bit of a stick in the mud. Was pretty shocked to find a male midwife on her ward. She didn't do the interview, I told you that didn't I. She was off on holiday or something. Anyway, everyone down here seems lovely. I'm sort of jealous and you've got something to look at." Jamie replied. Ginny rolled her eyes at her son.

"You're a married man." She chastised him.

"Not a blind married man though mother and he-" He gestured to Dom who was strutting around the place in a foul mood today. Ginny suspected it had something to do with Lofty but she didn't know what and she didn't pry. "Is very dishy."

"Hmmm, bit too young for me love." Ginny said, mind wandering to somewhere it shouldn't and to someone it shouldn't. A certain Mr Tall Dark and Handsome who was probably brooding away in his office.

After catching up with Jamie, Ginny was reminded once again of the pre-run that afternoon. She was hoping she could get out of it somehow but as she clocked off at the same time as everyone she realised that was going to be impossible. Maybe she could just take a little longer to get ready and lag at the back. It was only supposed to be fun, that she'd been assured but she wasn't sure how much she fun she was actually going to have.

When she got outside everyone was warming up and stretching and she decided that maybe she better look like that's what she was doing. She'd scraped her hair up onto her head again but with the wind it wasn't co-operating and there were too many fly-aways. Her headache had cleared up, which she was at least thankful for. She'd changed into an old grey hoodie and a pair of black leggings that had been sat in her locker, and her trainers which had been in her locker for a while.

When the claxon sounded Ginny set off at a slow jog. Catching snippets of random conversations as she went. It was a few minutes in when she spotted Henrik and upped her speed to catch him up. He looked very fetching in his running gear. Well actually he looked a little like a referee. It was nice to see him looking casual though. She felt like a victorian maid getting all giddy over a bit of leg. A bit of leg she shouldn't even be getting giddy about because she didn't like Henrik in that way and he didn't like her in that way.

"I heard about the trauma unit" Ginny said facing Henrik and jogging lightly backwards as she went. He really wished she wouldn't he was actually nervous that she was going to fall backwards and do herself an injury. "I can't imagine you were many peoples favourite person." Ginny added sympathetically.

"I can't imagine I'm many peoples favourite person any day." Henrik replied, raising a brow.

"Oh I wouldn't say that. There are people who like you, maybe even consider you a favourite person. I mean they're willing to push past a terrifying reputation to have lunch with you." She shot him a wicked teasing grin and then turned on the spot setting off ahead of him. She was a little disappointed she hadn't got there in time for a dog. She loved dogs. If she didn't have to work so much she'd have one.

Henrik watched her depart ahead of him and was once again more than a little tongue tied. It seemed that Nurse Rolechi had that effect on him a lot. Considering his nature it surprised even him. It surprised him that he wanted to spend more time with her, that he found his mind wandering over to what she might be doing. Straining to imagine her in something that wasn't the nurses scrubs. His mind flitting to pictures of her in jumpers and reading glasses, curled up by a fire. It was all very romantic and he tried to shut those thoughts down as quickly as they came. Even if he had taken a liking to her, he doubted very much that she would feel the same way about him. His reputation clearly proceeded him on most fronts and so it should. He was CEO after all, he couldn't afford to become embroiled in romantic drama.

Unfortunately his mind hadn't entirely received that message and continued to wander that way.

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A/N: Enjoyed? Leave a review! :)


	6. Chapter 6

_Disclaimer: This is fanfiction, I'm sure I don't have to give you the low down on what I own and what I don't. All the original characters are mine._

 _Honestly, I've no idea where this fic came from. I ship Sacha with happiness hard. I ship Henrik with happiness too. It's populated with original characters and starts way before the shooting. I watched a lot of Holby and then stopped for a while but I recently started again and I just love it a lot. This all for fun and games and I'm no doctor so forgive my 'tv' medical knowledge :)_

* * *

Ginny was actually incredibly ready for the half marathon. Running could actually be quite fun when you got into it. She'd warmed up, put on her lucky trainers and she'd even gotten time off work for it. Admittedly she'd rather be sat under a tree with a good book than running past them but this was for a good cause.

She'd always liked the way her feet pounded on the pavement to the beat of a decent song. She liked getting out of breath and not being able to think about anything but the splinter in her side. About the fact her lungs might explode. Admittedly she had to hide away whilst she got her breath back and admittedly she didn't do this very often but occasionally it was an excellent release.

She'd decided not to really try and keep up with the others. She hadn't practised enough for that. She was just going to have fun, to jog, maybe listen to a podcast on her way round rather than music. There were too many other people around for her to properly enjoy music and she'd never really been one for audiobooks. She did however have a fondness for unusual podcasts with interesting topics. Perfect for running and there were little facts she could store away for later to surprise Henrik with. She loved the way he tried to stifle a laugh when she came out with something she'd learnt. Last time it had been about a murderer who sewed peoples eyes into their throats and had done so for some very peculiar reasons. That hadn't convinced Henrik to start listening to them though and she was dying to know what was actually on his playlist.

Ginny was determined that today would not be the day she fell. It seemed however that that was not entirely up to her as a landrover ploughed into the crowd of runners and knocked her amongst others over. She fell against some rocks, ribs crashing into them with a slightly sickening crack. She was winded but breathing and when she eventually managed to get herself up, despite the pain, she managed to set to helping people.

As soon as he heard about the Land Rover, Henrik's mind had raced with worry. There was of course worry for the doctors and nurses he cared for who were running. Friends and colleagues. Then there was Ginny. Ginny who was already clumsy enough without a landrover ploughing into her. Ginny who could be lying under the wheels of a 4x4. Ginny who could have any number of injuries. Ginny who he wanted to know whether she was okay.

He tried to clamp down on the worry. Ignore it and continue with his day, after all there were important decisions to be made. Try as he might though she kept popping back into his mind.

Ginny had, like others, helped people back to Holby, treated those she could. Advised people who needed to come into hospital and who was okay. It was going to be all hands on deck and she was going to be there in the thick of it. The pain in her side had lessened due to the adrenaline pumping around her system but it didn't mean things weren't hurting like a bitch.

Getting into scrubs was a blur, as was treating the four patients on AAU and then heading back up to Keller to help free up beds. The adrenaline had worn off and the ache in her side was getting worse. The most pain came from the deep graze that had been left on her torso. She hadn't had time to dress it properly and the scrubs kept catching at the flakes of twisted skin and making her head spin with the sudden jolt of pain. She was realising too that lifting her arm, amongst other things, was becoming more painful.

It was just broken ribs, probably, there was nothing anyone could do for them and all she didn't have time to rest. It wasn't necessary. She popped two cocodamol in the staffroom and then moved back out onto the ward.

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The end of the day was far to long in coming as far as Ginny was concerned. Everyone else had gone to the pub and she'd promised to join them but she wasn't sure she was going to make it. Just lifting her arm to her locker was painful enough. She managed to get her scrubs off but there was no way she was getting into the shirt she'd brought with her. Instead she was going to have to just slide the grey Holby hoodie on that she had. After that she returned to the staffroom to pick up her handbag.

She winced opening the door, she winced picking her bag up and she winced trying to throw it over her shoulder. When she looked up Henrik was looming in the doorway giving her a look of concern.

"Guinevere, I trust you weren't caught up in the ruckus at the half marathon today?" Henrik asked seeming to appraise her as she tried not to wince.

"A little, came back here to help though and now I think it's home time." She gave him a smile, wanting nothing more than to just go home and take a nice long bath and then sleep for a while.

"Are you hurt?" Henrik asked stepping into the staffroom and closing the door behind him.

"I'm fine, honestly. It's nothing just a bit bruised." She shifted and the fabric of her vest brushed against her the graze and made her take in a sharp breath,

"Were you checked over?" Henrik watched her with deep concern. He should have known she wouldn't have come away from the incident unscathed. She barely came away from the week unscathed. She looked in a lot of pain but she was clearly trying not to show it. She needed to be checked over, he didn't want her ending up in the operating theatre because of her pride. He was about to step towards her but instead slid his hands behind his back.

"I think everyone had enough to do don't you? It's really nothing just a graze and some bruised ribs." Ginny replied holding up her hands to try and stay his questions.

"Well it doesn't seem too busy now. Maybe I should take a look." Henrik suggested.

"Henrik, I'm fine. Really I jus-ahh" Ginny couldn't stop the pained sigh from leaving her lips that time. The pain killers were wearing off, the adrenaline had long gone and the emotional exhaustion of the day was starting to settle in.

"I think you should let me take a look." Henrik repeated stepping towards her getting close enough that Ginny had to look up at him.

"Henrik-" Ginny started, sheer determination not to fall apart on her face.

"Guinevere." Henrik said his voice firm and commanding in a way that made Ginny think he really cared about her. She wanted to smile, but she didn't want to relent the power she was trying to hold onto. They stared at each other for a moment before Ginny relented, she needed to sit down anyway.

"You know there are easier ways of getting me out of my clothes." Ginny said dropping her bag to the floor and moving to sit on the sofa. She shrugged one arm out of the hoodie and then with some difficulty started to take the other arm out. Henrik stepped in to help her though, deft surgeons fingers moving the fabric quickly out of the way.

"Guinevere you shouldn't sell yourself short. I imagine a woman like you can prove quite the challenge." Henrik replied. Ginny started to laugh but stopped as soon as he started to lift her vest top up slightly. "Did you clean this?" Henrik asked her.

"Yes." Ginny sighed.

"I think you should have an x-ray." Henrik said to her.

"I don't need one, they're fine." Ginny was stubborn, incredibly stubborn and there was no way she was having a bloody x-ray. She didn't need it.

"Wait here." Henrik practically ordered before standing up to stride out of the room.

"I swear to god Henrik if you come back with a wheel chair I'll put you in it!" Ginny shouted after him. Henrik ignored her, disappearing to the nurses station to get some things to clean and dress the wound on her side. He couldn't believe how bloody stubborn she was being, she needed an x-ray to ensure that she had no internal injuries. She must know how important that was. Still if he was in the same situation he doubted he would be heading down to x-ray. He had after all stitched up his own wound in his office before.

"Let me drive you home." Henrik said once he'd finished dressing her wound. He was incredibly gentle and it only made the warmth Ginny felt towards him grow.

"I don't ne-" Ginny started before sighing and giving in. "Okay."

"If you wait here I'll just go and collect my things." Henrik said giving her a gentle smile.

"No, I'll meet you at your car." Ginny replied, she wasn't an invalid and she didn't want to feel like one.

"Stubborn as ever." Henrik's mouth twitched at the corner and Ginny wanted to kiss him there. Damn her ribs.

"You wouldn't have me any other way." Ginny replied.

"No, Guinevere, I would not." He replied giving her a completely dashing smile that made her stomach flutter in a way it hadn't in years.

It took Ginny longer than normal to get down to the carpark. Locating Henrik's car was easy though, considering he had his own space. It looked so clean inside, not a bit like her Nissan that looked like it was in need of a good clean out. It was clutter though, no food. It was kids toys, books, book marks amongst other things. She waited against the passenger door, dropping her bag on the floor. Eventually she saw him striding across the car park towards her and she couldn't help the smile that started to form on her face. She heard the car unlock and just remained leant against the passenger door. Henrik was genuinely surprised that she wasn't trying to open the door. He could tell she was really injured and he found her stubborness even more endearing and frustrating in a pleasant way.

Ginny stepped aside and let him open the door for her, before she got in though she turned to look at him.

"Thank you." She said pulling her bottom lip between her teeth as he held open the door.

"I couldn't very well let you try and drive yourself home. I think the wards have had enough excitement for one day." Henrik replied, holding her gaze for perhaps a moment more than he really should. The kiss crossed his mind.

"Ever the gentleman. Oh if only I could pounce right now." Ginny said, not taking her eyes from his.

"I don't think pouncing would be a good idea in your condition." Henrik replied but even as he did he completely surprised Ginny by leaning in and kissing her. God she wished she wasn't in so much pain right now.

Ethically he didn't think it was quite right that he was kissing her when she was clearly at the end of a very bad day. The moment felt right though, and she was kissing him back after all. It was better than the last kiss he'd shared with her, that was for sure, though he'd quite like to do it when she wasn't so exhausted.

"What will people think, Henrik Hanssen taking advantage of an injured woman." Ginny whispered when he pulled back.

"Get in the car Guinevere." Henrik ordered a twitch of a smile on his own face.

"Sounding a little sinister there Henrik, I'm not sure I want to now." Ginny let out a half laugh and slid into the car holding her ribs. She couldn't wait to get home and get a bath, maybe Henrik would stay and make her some cocoa if she asked him nicely.

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A/N: Enjoyed? Leave a review! :)


	7. Chapter 7

_Disclaimer: This is fanfiction, I'm sure I don't have to give you the low down on what I own and what I don't. All the original characters are mine._

 _Honestly, I've no idea where this fic came from. I ship Sacha with happiness hard. I ship Henrik with happiness too. It's populated with original characters and starts way before the shooting. I watched a lot of Holby and then stopped for a while but I recently started again and I just love it a lot. This all for fun and games and I'm no doctor so forgive my 'tv' medical knowledge :)_

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"I'm going to kill him, I swear to god if he speaks to me like that one more time!" Ginny growled storming into the staffroom standing against the sink for a minute. Frederick had been there for only a week or two but it felt like months and Ginny was getting more and more tired of his attitude toward the nurses. He seemed to think himself above everyone. Some sort of Keller demi-god who's everyday diagnoses were somehow ground breaking. Ginny knew that he was only doing it to try and impress Henrik. She'd had discussions with both Dom and Essie on the subject and they had all cut him slack but she was beginning to lose patience. Henrik treated all his staff with respect, from Porters to consultants to cleaners and if Frederick wanted to impress him he really needed to stop acting like he was better than the whole of Holby.

"Who?" Ginny span round to see Sacha sat there hidden behind a newspaper. She should have known he'd be in here when she hadn't noticed him out on the ward.

"The Doctor who thinks he's king of the castle." Ginny took a breath and pressed her fingers into her eyes.

"You do know he's Hanssen's son?" Sacha asked raising a brow.

"I know, he told me the other night and he told me about the trial." Ginny said without thought.

"The other night?" Sacha put his paper down and Ginny let her head drop back closing her eyes, annoyed with herself.

"It's nothing-" Ginny said but Sacha was giving her that look that said that even if she did try to lie to him he'd know. She hated that look. "We just-" She paused and sat down next to him. "Sacha you can't tell anyone. You have to promise me." She said putting a hand over his. "Promise me."

"I'm not going to tell anyone." Sacha laughed holding his hands up. "I did wonder though, he does like to watch you work."

"It's just, nobody needs to know." Ginny and Henrik had been seeing each other a lot more frequently since their kiss in the carpark. They'd been doing a lot more than just talking about books and eating lunch too. It wasn't common knowledge though and Ginny liked it that way and she was one hundred percent sure Henrik did too. Especially with the fact that his son had just turned up at the hospital. Henrik had told her a lot about his and Frederick's relationship but Ginny suspected that it wasn't everything.

Ginny wasn't judgemental in the slightest. She knew that families came in all different shapes and sizes. She knew that all sorts of things happened which meant they became distant. Perhaps that's why Henrik trusted her enough to tell her. She told him stories about her own family. How her ex-husband had tried to turn Jamie against her in the beginning and it was only when he was fifteen that he'd come back to her. How they'd reconciled and now they were as close as could be, that she loved being a part of his, Alfie and Mary's lives. She'd left out some of the details about her relationship with her father because she didn't think the honeymoon stages of whatever this was blossoming into was really the time to step into that minefield.

Henrik had taken her out to dinner, they'd tried to go out of town, a deliberate choice on both their parts. Ginny couldn't help finding that it made everything more exciting. She felt like she was having some wild romance like in the movies. Kisses in the rain beneath umbrellas, hand holding in restaurants that really were to fancy for her. Museum trips where Ginny revealed her love of the stars. It was almost too good to be true and she couldn't help feeling that something was going to go wrong.

"Of course, it's nobody else's business." Sacha said softly.

"It's just with Frederick back I don't want to do anything to upset their relationship anymore than it is. I can't imagine he'd think lowly old me would be good enough for his dad." Ginny admitted with a laugh that hid insecurity behind it. "Not with him thinking I'm a lose woman and all."

"Ginny." Sacha said rolling his eyes.

"He said it. Dom told me." Ginny replied.

"I don't think he was trying to imply anything horrible." Sacha replied, ever the optimist, forever seeing the good in people.

"I don't think anyone has ever been called a lose woman as a compliment." Ginny shook her head.

"Right, come on. I'm sure there's patients out there need tending too." Sacha put an end to the discussion before Ginny could further it.

"Hmmmm can you keep Mr Spencer away from me please he's a little- handsy- and despite being the lose woman I am. I'm not exactly a fan." Ginny pulled a face before pulling the door open only to come face to face with Jamie.

"Mum-" He said before she could speak.

"What's wrong with you?" Ginny asked noting the worried expression on his face.

"Mum I need to speak to you-" Jamie said trying to stop her from stepping out onto the ward. "Before you go out the-"

Jamie closed his eyes as Ginny stepped out onto Keller and Sacha was watching him curiously wondering what on Earth was going on that had caused the look of concern on Jamie's face.

"Ah and here she is-" A man in a neat expensive looking suit, tanned with black hair and two grey streaks up the sides was stood at the nurses station, stethoscope around his neck, Holby pass stuck to his jacket. Essie, Frederick and Miss Karnik all looked very impressed even Dom seemed to be swooning. Sacha came to stand at the side of Ginny and saw her expression drop from light and smiling to something like horror, then back to smiling again.

"Ah there she is beautiful as always." Dr Bradley Gaunt said he crossed to Ginny and planted a kiss on her cheek. A familiarity that didn't go unnoticed by the others.

"Bradley." Ginny replied stepping back from him before he could plant a kiss on her other cheek.

"Nurse Rolechi you didn't tell us you knew such an esteemed surgeon." Frederick said watching Ginny closely, monitoring her reaction.

"You mean you haven't told them about our whirlwind Ginny? How you broke my heart, left me standing at the alter." Bradley replied a mischievous grin on his face. Dom tried to stop a laugh bubbling up only it came out more like a snort.

"Funnily enough I never brought you up in conversation. Can't think why." Ginny replied with a tenacity usually reserved for dealing with stubborn departments that weren't co-operating. It was ridiculous really that even now after all this time Bradley could get this rise out of her. His very presence got under her skin as it had the first time she'd met him. Bradley was smug and arrogant, he was cocky, good looking and charming and like an idiot Ginny had fallen for all of that. She had mistaken the irrating desire to punch him in the face for a fierce passion. She'd allowed him to string her along for months before he proposed. She hoped to god he wasn't working here permanently. Despite the fact she left him at the alter Bradley was still under the impression that he could wrap her around his little finger.

Every time she ran into him he tried to charm her. He chased her and she at some point gave in because Bradley was not a bad shag and a woman had needs when there were slim pickings. Each time though she was reminded why she shouldn't go back there and swore she never would. It had been three years, three years and yet he still came sniffing around. Three years and he still acted like he knew her so well in company. Like he'd caught a glimpse of her soul that no one else could see. He'd chased away more than one man Ginny had had her eye on or been getting to know. For the most part Bradley was just blowing smoke up his own arse though.

"You mean you didn't tell them that you knew the great Dr Gaunt? That you left the amazing Dr Gaunt at the alter because you got cold feet?" Bradley was teasing and Ginny rolled her eyes. It was hard to stay angry at Bradley. He was what some might call a cheeky chappy. Always getting himself into mischief and usually using his charm, wit and smile to get out of it. This often meant that whilst Ginny might have been tempted to punch him she also felt a small giddiness, a little bit of pride at being the one he bestowed his affection on. It was ridiculous, all smoke and mirrors, like being a teenager who a celebrity had winked at and believing you shared something special.

"The only reason I got cold feet was because you were busy warming someone else's bed." Ginny retorted. "He might look good but don't trust him as far as you can throw him and keep him away from your nurses." Ginny said to Essie. Her tone may have been light but the warning in her voice was all too real.

"Well- accidents happen." Bradley said looking away from Ginny his mouth curling up at the corners though.

"Oh yeah, sorry I forgot, you didn't seduce that nurse did you? You just accidentally fell face first into her crotch in the on call room and she just happened to be knickerless-" Ginny quipped back. Dom's mouth dropped open as Ginny walked past Bradley and continued off the wall. She was going for her dinner before she felt anything beside wanting to punch him in the face.

Why on Earth was he here? Why on Earth did he have to come to this hospital. Now he knew she was here too he was going to be dogging her doorstep everytime he was having a dry spell. Ginny was in the midst of whatever she had with Henrik though.

She wasn't sure what it was, it was too early to put labels on it.

It wasn't tempting, Bradley wasn't tempting. He might have been familiar and charming and sparked something in her that made her want to fight everything about him but he was most certainly not tempting. He might have been handsome and decent in bed and already aware of a lot of her quirks which could be considered embarrassing but he was not tempting. Not in the slightest.

She adored Henrik because he was so different to anyone else. So different to the men she usually chose. He was a better choice than the men she usually chose.

She'd been so happy minutes earlier. Even though telling Sacha had been a mistake it had felt nice, letting someone else know how happy she was. She still hadn't told Jamie, she didn't want things getting awkward and messy. Not right now. Now they felt messy though.

Now she was starting to overthink things; what if she was heading for heartache with Henrik and her and Bradley were supposed to be together? What if Bradley was here to cause heartache for her? What if he talked around the hospital and people got the wrong impression? What if he told Henrik lies about her? What if she punched him in the hospital? What if he said the wrong thing and she stabbed him in the hand with a scalpel... _that had only happened once_.

Ginny put her head in her hands. This was the anxiety starting to creep it's way out of the hole it had been pushed into. It was the anxiety filling her brain with bees buzzing with questions. She needed tablets, she needed those little pink pills that stopped her feeling like her throat was closing up but she didn't have any. They were back in her bag upstairs.

Henrik was glad there was no one around to notice the smile that immediately picked up on his face when he spotted Guinevere at the bench. What was quickly becoming their bench. She was a breath of fresh air, she had sparked something inside him that Henrik had tried his best to avoid for twenty-something years. She was beautiful and intelligent and their conversations ranged from deep philosophical discussions to ridiculous end of the world scenarios and how they'd survive in the inevitable apocalypse. It was joyous to have someone to share these conversations with again, it was wonderful to have a warm body in the bed next to him and it was amazing to realise how much the hospital and his work had consumed his life for so long. Henrik had never thought that he could feel like this again, more importantly though he'd never thought he'd want to feel anything like this again. Henrik liked to observe her, especially when she didn't know he was there. Seeing her from afar was so different to seeing her up close. There were inflections and movements that he found adorable. He liked seeing the way she interacted with others, watching that interest flicker into life in her, the way she could comfort a patient with such ease.

The smile slid from Henrik's face as he noticed that she certainly didn't seem to be happy. Even from up here he could tell by the way she pushed her lunch away, the absence of a book and the flexing of her fingers that something was wrong. He didn't like that, he didn't like seeing her upset. It was something that was rare, she tended to swing between a fiery anger and happiness with most of her time spent as the latter.

Ginny heard someone approaching and she was hoping to god it wasn't Jamie. This was not a discussion she wanted to have right now. She didn't want him asking the question of how she felt because that would just fuel more unwanted questions infiltrating her brain and making her overthink every goddamn thing.

"If I'd have thought the book would bring you this much distress I never would have given it to you." Henrik's voice moved through her curls and despite all the ridiculousness twisting inside her a smile was breaking out on her face.

"What are you doing here?" Ginny mumbled turning her head slightly to the side.

"You seemed to be in distress." Henrik admitted.

"So you were spying on me?" Ginny asked twisting her face so she could just about see him through her hair.

"I wouldn't say spying, I'd say admiring." Henrik replied moving some of the hair from her face to better see her.

"I've told you before you sound like a serial killer haven't I?" Ginny asked him sitting up and pulling her hair back into a lose ponytail. "Very romantic, slightly adorable but still a little on the serial killer side." She added.

"Several times. I seem to remember you saying that you enjoyed my looming." Henrik replied. Ginny laughed pulling her bottom lip between her teeth and feeling lightness spread through her chest. "Now are you going to tell me what's wrong or are you going to sit there and insult me."

"I said you were an adorable, sexy, romantic serial killer." Ginny deflected. "I'm fine." She lied, or maybe it wasn't entirely a lie because with Henrik there she was already starting to feel better. "It's just one of those days with difficult patients, horrible doctors and clumsiness."

"I would have thought that was an average day on Keller." Henrik replied gentle smile making his nose twitch slightly. "Do you want to tell me who the horrible doctor is. Maybe I can do something about them."

"Now that really did sound threatening." Ginny responded shaking her head, causing fly away strands to come lose. "It's fine, you couldn't really do anything anyway." She said sliding her leg through the bench so she could sit the same way as him. Back to the hospital resting against the bench. She was craving a closeness, even if it was just sitting close to him. "Do you mind if we don't do dinner tonight? I just-" Ginny sighed "-I don't really feel like being in a restaurant surrounded by other people. It's more of a couch and cocoa kind of night." Ginny admitted.

"Well that rather throws a spanner in the works but I'm sure it's something we can do." Henrik said giving her that smile that said everything was fine.

"I don't want to go back to work." Ginny said letting her head drop forward onto the bench before sitting back up to find him looking at her. He reached out a hand and brushed a strand of hair behind her ear, letting his hand rest on her cheek.

"I know I'm CEO but if you do need to talk to me about anything you only need start talking Guinevere." Henrik said softly. Ginny melted a little and leaned in to kiss him. Henrik returning it, pulling her closer and feeling his stomach flutter like a teenager. Both were completely unaware that they were being watched.

Frederick's hands had curled into fists at his side. From the window where he stood he could see them. Could see her. Maybe that's why his father wasn't paying enough attention to him, his brain had been tied up by Nurse Rolechi and her ridiculousness. How his father, a seemingly intelligent man had fallen for it Frederick just couldn't work it out. If he wanted to get Henrik back onside maybe he had to get rid of her. Maybe he could save him from Nurse Rolechi and her ways, a woman like that after all. So lose and flirtatious was bound to end up hurting his father.

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A/N: Enjoyed? Leave a review! :)


	8. Chapter 8

_Disclaimer: This is fanfiction, I'm sure I don't have to give you the low down on what I own and what I don't. All the original characters are mine._

 _Honestly, I've no idea where this fic came from. I ship Sacha with happiness hard. I ship Henrik with happiness too. It's populated with original characters and starts way before the shooting. I watched a lot of Holby and then stopped for a while but I recently started again and I just love it a lot. This all for fun and games and I'm no doctor so forgive my 'tv' medical knowledge :)_

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"I'm sorry mum I only found out about him a few seconds before you did. There were whispers about this new ENT doctor up on the maternity ward but I had no idea it would be him." Jamie said apologetically.

"Jamie, it's fine. Really," Ginny paused when Jamie gave her a look. "Really!" She repeated. "What happened with Bradley was a long time ago."

"Mum, two years ago you left for a dirty weekend with him and came back happy then a week later you were threatening to cut his privates off and make a soup with them when you found out he actually had a girlfriend." Jamie replied. "You might have left him at the alter but you still ended up in his bed." Jamie added.

"Yes and I've learnt my lesson. Besides it's not like I was being used, god you make it sound like I was some love sick teenager. I just needed a shag." Ginny replied frankly and it was true. That's all she'd wanted and that weekend had been what she needed to boost her confidence. Bradley had the ability to make you feel like you were the most important person in the world, it was what made him a good doctor. He had the gift of the gab and it had saved him all his life. He was selfish and greedy though and that's why he liked to have so many different women and the occasional man.

"Right, that's enough of this talk, hadn't you better get back up to maternity?" She asked. "Not that I'm trying to get rid of you."

"Suppose there's work to be done. I'll be up to my elbows in it up there. Drinks tonight though after work, thinking about breaking out Betty on them." Jamie grinned from ear to ear.

"Might be a bit soon for that. Let them get used to you first and then you can break out Betty." Ginny replied with a laugh. "I'm looking forward to the couch and cocoa." She admitted.

The rest of Ginny's shift seemed to drag. Then to make matters worse she ended up in surgery for an extra half hour. When it was finally time to leave she was exhausted and didn't even care about cocoa anymore. She was surprised to find Henrik waiting by the lift for her, coat pulled tight around him, briefcase in his hand.

"I was worried you'd fallen asleep." He said smiling down at her but not risking the kiss on the cheek he wanted to give her.

"If only, I am incredibly ready for comfort." Ginny admitted as they stepped into the lift she leaned her head against the wall.

"Ah- well-" Henrik said pushing the button that would take them to the top floor.

"What does ah-well mean?" Ginny asked looking at the button with a mixture of horror and curiosity.

"You'll see." Henrik replied. Ginny wanted to be grateful, to be excited for whatever he had planned but she just wasn't. She was worried that he was going to spring on her that they were going to some fancy restaurant. Her brain not seeming to compute that they were going up and not down. He made her close her eyes but Ginny knew they were heading to the roof because she'd been up here before. It was a brilliant place for screaming. Good place to read too when it wasn't freezing. Henrik guided her out of the fire door and made her wait with her eyes closed for a moment.

"I know we're on the roof. I hope you're not planning on pushing me off." Ginny said. "There are easier ways to get rid of me."

"I think given your exhaustion and how clumsy you are I'd be more worried you might fall off." Henrik replied.

"Surely you'd catch me?" Ginny smiled eyes still closed and Henrik looked up from his preparations to her.

"Always Guinevere." Henrik replied crossing back to her. He led her forward just slightly. "You can open your eyes now." Henrik said.

Ginny opened her eyes to see possibly the sweetest set up she'd ever seen. There were two chairs, fold up camp chairs with a blanket placed over them and a flask between them. Goodness knows how he'd done it but there was a telescope. Nothing high tech or amazing but a telescope none the less.

"I know you said Couch and cocoa but it's a clear night and I thought this might make the day somewhat better. There is cocoa." He added looking at her a little expectantly.

All the emotions of the day seemed to build and flood over her at once. This was the nicest thing anyone outside of her immediate family had done for her in a long time and this was the nicest thing she thought a man had ever done for her. Tears, she really didn't want to, started to well in her eyes so she had to turn away from him and Henrik suddenly looked panicked.

"Oh dear, I'm sorry Guinevere. I thought this would be a nice end to a horrible day-" Henrik started, Ginny shut him off by pulling him in for a kiss.

"I tell you I don't want to go to a restaurant so you bring me stargazing." Ginny shook her head in disbelief. Whatever part of the universe had decided to gift her with Henrik she was thanking right now. She couldn't help that gnawing feeling at the back of her mind that said something was going to go wrong but right now she was doing her very best to ignore it.

Guinevere had revealed her interest in astrology to him in one museum or another. She'd told him about her love for the stars and the want to learn about the constellations and their positions. Her interests in geodes and crystals that moved beyond the spiritual. She believed in something more being out there though she'd never specified what and to see that hope and openess through someone else's eyes was interesting. At first Henrik had assumed she'd meant star signs and planets aligning but it turned out to be so much more than that. Though Ginny was still a fan of reading her star signs and Henrik's and laughing about what they held. Finding even more amusement when something vague that had been predicted came true.

Henrik had bought the telescope cheaply, nothing expensive but still good enough to see the stars with. The cocoa on the other hand was not simply bought from the coffee shop. That had been expensive but Guinevere was worth it.

"Now I feel guilty, I've got nothing apart from a broken caramac in the bottom of my bag that Mary made me buy last week." Ginny said.

"Your presence is more than enough." Henrik replied. "Now if you'll look through here I think I've got the angle right, you should be able to see the Pleiades star cluster." He gestured. Ginny stepped up somewhat tentatively and put her eyes against the lens. It was beautiful. The stars were beautiful, no more than dots of light in the sky and yet they had this profound effect on her like she was looking through the lens into possibility. All that potential for life just waiting out there.

"And if we move this way slightly." Henrik said adjusting the telescope slightly. Ginny could feel his body pressing against hers and she sought comfort in the warmth and safety it brought with it. God if only they could stay up here forever. Just like this, just in this moment. "Ten degrees south and slightly East, you should be able to see Jupiter surrounded by the Hyades star cluster." Henrik said.

"Here, take a look." Ginny said after a few moments, when she started to feel like she was hogging the lens. Henrik took over, adjusting the telescope like he was a natural at it. He was so intelligent, Ginny just watched him, watched the expression on his face shift from curiosity to happiness, to recognition. He was so beautiful, did he know that? Did he realise that? Did he see how good looking he really was? Did he see how amazing he was, how special his mind was? Ginny chewed her lip and tried to bat away feelings of inadequacy, how could the universe have gifted him to her. She wasn't worthy of him surely. She was damaged and emotional and her intelligence didn't lie in the most logical of places. She imagined this was exactly how Bridget felt staring at Mr Darcy. She was Bridget, she was 5ft 4 or ordinary woman, ordinary lumps and bumps, she was 5ft 4 of clumsy and verbal diarrhoea. He was 6ft 4 of Swedish god, 6ft 4 of controlled emotion; clever, dexterous and graceful.

Mark loved Bridget though. Just the way she was and Henrik seemed to like her just the way she was. That thought made her mouth twitch at a smile she couldn't control.

"I think we're safe from the apocalypse tonight. No sign of an incoming meteor." Henrik teased drawing himself back up to full height and stepping away from the telescope. Ginny was pulled from her thoughts about Mark and Bridget bringing her back to reality and the roof.

"When the apocalypse does come-" Ginny said sitting down in the camping chair next to him and pulling the blanket over them both leaning her head on his shoulder. "-you have to promise not to abandon me. Surgeons will probably live like kings after all."

"Of course not, you'll be one of my many wives." Henrik replied causing Ginny to slap his arm lightly.

"Well now I'm just not going to share my caramac." She said routing in her bag.

"And this is the reason I would need other wives-" He teased pouring them both out some cocoa. "Although if the apocalypse comes, I do think out of the two of us, you would be the more likely candidate to gather a following. I can just see you leading a rebellion."

"Only because I told you about the protest at school." Ginny replied.

"And the pride march." Henrik quipped.

"I knew I shouldn't have told you about that." She said snapping some of the chocolate off and handing it to him. Ginny laid her head back on his shoulder and they were just quiet for a while. Watching the stars and drinking cocoa. She couldn't think of a more perfect end to a terrible day.

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A/N: Enjoyed? Leave a review! :)


	9. Chapter 9

_Disclaimer: This is fanfiction, I'm sure I don't have to give you the low down on what I own and what I don't. All the original characters are mine._

 _So I entirely rewrote this chapter in line with the way I want the fic to progress- more cheesy romantic guff. I feel no shame in saving this is incredibly cheesy, and romcom-esque._

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 _"How will I know, if he's thinking of meeee"_ Ginny was humming under her breath as she entered the hospital. Jamie's eyes followed his mother and almost instantly he knew what she was singing. _"How will I know, how will I know."_

"Oh no." He said bowing his head against the table. Essie spun round just in time to see Ginny disappearing behind the lift doors, singing her heart out with her headphones in. It wasn't an unusual sight, especially when she was in the lift on her own. The perfect start to the day apparently.

"You know she does that all the time right?" Essie replied sipping at her coffee.

"She's in love." He said through his hands and Essie looked back towards the lift and then back to Jamie. She liked Jamie, he had a dark sense of humour and she looked forward to him being on Keller, which wasn't often.

"How can you possibly know she's in love?" Essie asked him.

"That song, that bloody song. I listened to her play that song for three weeks when I was twenty because she'd supposedly met Mr Dreamboat." Jamie said rubbing his face. "He broke her heart, she cried for a week and played her broken heart playlist. Two weeks later Mary was dumped on our doorstep and it took her mind completely off Daniel Cleaver." Jamie admitted. "Until the next time he came around."

"Mary was dumped?" Essie tilted her head, this was new information to her and not something that was usually just thrown into conversation.

"Oh yeah, I mean she's mine. We had a DNA test. No idea who her mother is though. I experimented once or twice in my teens. Anyway we opened the door one day and there was a baby with a note saying she was mine. Her mum thought she'd have a better life with me and she didn't want a baby anyway. Wouldn't change a thing, ever. One of the best things in my life. Her and Alfie." Jamie smiled and took a drink of his coffee. The conversation shifted to Mary, a subject it was hard to get Jamie to shut up about, even with that though he was still thinking about his mum and trying to figure out who the hell had put that spring in her step, he was hoping to god it wasn't Bradley. She deserved so much better than that bastard.

"Still not sure about this." Ginny said smoothing out the dress that was hung on the locker. It was emerald green. Tight to the waist, showcasing her curves and then floaty at the bottom. A single slit, enveloped in fabric, one leg on show from the knee down. "I don't think I should go." Ginny held her hand up and noticed the slight tremor.

"Mum, you know you don't have to go don't you, come and watch me instead." Jamie suggested, he knew if she had a drink in her and his drag alter-ego Betty in front of her she'd be more likely to tell him who this mystery man was. As selfish as his reasons were for wanting her to come to Albie's instead, he knew she cared a lot about the Children's charity the benefit was for.

"I do have to go though. I'm supposed to be giving a speech." Ginny replied with a wince. She held up some queue cards and waved them slightly. Ginny had been an important part of the Butterfly Nation charity since it's inception almost ten years ago. It started out as a small project to bring art therapy to children's wards, without applying strain to the NHS. Millions of pounds and hundreds of hospitals later they'd rolled out programme after programme that had helped millions of children.

"I think you should go, head held high, knock em' dead. Besides they'll be others there, I hear Hanssen's going I'm pretty sure if you have any trouble you could get him to stare someone down for you." Jamie joked. "He's pretty scary when he looms around."

"Oh that just makes me feel all the better. I hate these things, it's why I don't attend these ones. It's why I only go to the little ones for families." Ginny said starting to feel uncomfortable in her own skin. Henrik being there made her feel both better and worse.

"Mum, you'll be fine. You can always go home after your speech. It'll be okay." Jamie suggested. He knew it was important to her but he also knew how worked up she was starting to get.

She hoped she could get through her speech without embarrassing herself. This wasn't like when she spoke at the lowkey fundraisers filled with families and toddlers. Where she could joke and be light hearted. This was a serious benefit for people with an interest in whether it really helped. This was a room filled with chair people of various hospitals who needed reassuring why they should continue to allow the charity to do their work. Anna Valencia usually did these talks but she'd broken her leg two weeks before and asked Ginny to go instead. By the time Ginny realised that the benefit was being held at Bradley's father's estate it was too late. She'd already agreed.

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"You look beautiful." Henrik handed her a glass of champagne and Ginny couldn't keep the smile off her face. He was stood hovering over her in the doorway, almost possessively. She liked that, she liked that he seemed to want to keep her too himself it was nice to feel so wanted.

"You don't scrub up too badly yourself." Ginny said resisting the urge to reach out and touch his tie.

"It's a good you didn't show me the dress I'd never have let you come out in it. People can't take their eyes off you and rightly so." Henrik said leaning in slightly and causing butterflies to flutter furiously in her stomach. She wanted to kiss him badly, she wanted him to kiss her. She wanted him to claim her in front of everyone but Henrik was far too polite and proper for any of that business. She wanted to be a little more open about whatever this was. As much as she was enjoying the thrill of it being a secret she also liked the idea of Henrik being proud enough to have her on his arm that he wasn't ashamed of it. Wasn't ashamed of her.

Ginny was sure she was blushing like a teenager. Henrik still held her gaze and he felt closer even though he hadn't moved an inch. Even when Ginny looked away for a second she looked back to find his eyes still on her. Almost predatory look in his gaze. Protective and possessive. Every nerve in her body seemed attuned to Henrik's presence and it was like her body could sense him. Sense how close he was, sense that if he just shuffled forward a step-

Henrik stepped back from Ginny as they were approached by a slightly large man. Stocky with a moustache, his tuxedo pulling tight at his portly belly. Ginny had to turn her face away for a moment to shake away the lusty fog that had started to mist up her brain.

"I must say Gwen, I was surprised to see your name on the list of speakers." He said, there was something mocking in his tone. Standing between them Henrik could see that there was clearly a familiarity between the two of them but he wasn't sure where the connection came from.

"Anna normally does this side of the charity stuff. I'm not the biggest fan of being around all these toffs." Ginny retorted before she could stop herself.

"Elegant as always Gwen." Dr Gaunt replied not finding amusement in her turn of phrase the way Henrik did. Henrik felt a protective surge towards her, resisting the urge to slide his hand around her. "I must say I didn't think this esteemed crowd would be to your taste. A nurse around all these surgeons. You must feel like a mongrel at crufts." Ginny's hands curled into fists at her sides and Henrik felt himself go tense. How dare he speak to her like that. He could tell Ginny was trying her best to keep her temper, it was unusual to see her so quiet, clearly that comment had touched on a nerve.

"Now Marius, Guinevere is one of the best nurses we have the privilege of employing at Holby." Henrik interjected.

"Ah Henrik, had chance to look over those trial proposals yet?" Marius asked completely ignoring Henrik's comment.

"Not yet, there have been other, more pressing matters to be dealing with." Henrik replied. Dr Marius Gaunt was the CEO of Pharmiet Pharmaceuticals, a major player in the pharmaceuticals game providing, amongst others, Holby. They were also investors in the hospital, though Henrik was beginning to wonder if their partnership was based on how many drug trials the hospital took part in.

"Of course, of course. I imagine Miss Rolechi has been filling your head with ridiculous notions about art and such." Marius waved his hand towards Ginny as though she wasn't there.

"I think bringing art therapy to the children's ward is a stroke of genius and it's made quite the difference." Henrik said politely.

"Oh come on Henrik, you don't need to humour the girl. She knows her place." Marius sneered and Henrik bit back a retort. They were saved by the presence of Bradley taking to the stage. Ginny had hoped he wouldn't be here but he was. Him introducing her onto the stage didn't do anything to quell her nerves. Bradley thought he was a comedian and simply had to remind the crowd about the last time she'd gotten up in front of her crowd and they'd been able to see through her dress.

"You'll be fine, just try not to swear." Henrik whispered into Guinevere's ear just before she was due to make her speech. It did give her that little boost of confidence she needed and steadied her nerves. All she had to do was focus on him, ignore everyone else and she'd be okay. She would avoid looking at Bradley at all costs because that would throw her entirely off as he'd purposefully be doing things to try and distract her.

Ginny could feel her palms sweating already. God she hoped she'd put enough deodorant on. She was introduced as Anna which immediately set her on edge. She wasn't Anna. She stepped up onto the small stage which had been set up and tripped on her dress. Her cue cards dropped to the floor and she had to dip down to collect them all. Then as she stood up there was the horrible sound of tearing fabric and she realised the split in her dress had just got even bigger.

 _Fuck._

"Whoops." She smiled as she reached the mic and tried to hold her dress up. "I'm ah- I'm not Anna sorry." She apologised a little too close to the mic and it made a horrible noise. "Not used to being on a mic either, not like this, in front of a crowd like this. Wouldn't see you lot in the pub on a frid-" Henrik coughed from in the crowd and Ginny stopped talking. She could see Bradley laughing, a big smirk on his face stood to the side of the crowd. She was going to throw a drink on him when she got off this stage.

"Anyway- we're here for Butterfly Nation. Charity, really good charity if I do say so myself. We're in 42 hospitals now on the children's wards providing art therapy." Ginny's cue cards were all out of order, which wouldn't have been a problem if she was in front of the kids and families who took part in the bake sales and the raffles to raise money. She was in front of serious investors though.

"Everyone works really hard but we wouldn't get anywhere without fundraising so I should thank those- who-" She was desperately clawing through the cards trying to find names. _You need to mention names Ginny, they keep coming back because they like the pat on the back._ "Have helped."

Henrik winced in the crowd. He never imagined that Ginny could ever get nervous in front of a crowd, not given her reputation of dancing on tables in Albie's. Yet she was crumbling in front of all these people. It seemed that when it came to being surrounded by those with wealth, those who spoke like they belonged in an Austen novel she clearly lost her cool. Her insecurities rising to the brim. Henrik winced again as she managed to mix up names and thanked a famous vegan cookbook author for donating meat for the summer bbq. She apologised before deciding it was time to step away from the mic.

"And now I think I'll let-" She was looking through her cards again. "Mr- Mr- Mr-" Ginny was racking her brain for a name, any name. The name of the bloke who sorted out the finances. Ginny had never wanted to do this side of things, she'd wanted to stick to the fun side of things and it was an understanding her and Anna had come to a long time ago. "Mr YangTree take over!"

"Treyang." The man said as he stepped up to the mic. Ginny winced as she stepped off the stage closing her eyes and decided she needed a big drink. A whole bottle perhaps.

Henrik started to cross to her, the hint of an amused smile ghosting his lips when he was cut off by Dr Bradley Gaunt. Who moved to Guinevere swiftly and slipped an arm around her waist guiding her towards a door around the back of the area set up for a stage. Henrik felt a pang of possessiveness spike inside him. Guinevere was a tactile person he knew that but another mans hands on her waist was still making him uneasy. He should have been the one to greet her off the stage and offer her some comfort not this handsome looking, charming Doctor that could give Matteo a run for his money.

"I can't believe you said Mrs Wesley was the one who donated those burgers. You should have seen the look on her face. She was horrified." Bradley was still laughing as Ginny took another swig from the bottle of Gin he'd pulled from somewhere.

Ginny lit up a cigarette and inhaled deeply.

"Laugh it up pretty boy." Ginny said shooting him a look that said if she had something to throw at him she would.

"Is this a record? Tripped, ripped dress, dropped cue cards, buggered up names." He ticked them off on his hands and that time Ginny took a shoe off and threw it at him.

"Piss off."

"Oh Gwenny I've missed you." Bradley said dodging the shoe and then bringing it back over to her. He knelt down in front of her and put her heel back on slowly, letting his hand graze her ankle. Ginny shifted uncomfortable as a residual tingle of past feelings fluttered inside her. Just lust, Henrik's fault. Nothing to do with Bradley and if it was it was because she knew what could come from that touch, she was reminded of other times when he was on his knees in front of her and making her feel better than good.

"I'll put this heel in your chest." Ginny said lifting her leg ready to kick him. "Don't even think about it."

"Oh come on, there's no one out here. You used to love this." Bradley slid his hand a little further up her calf and Ginny pressed the heel to his chest. "You wouldn't."

"I stabbed you in the hand with a scalpel once." Ginny replied.

"Good point." Bradley replied letting go of her leg. He was quiet for a moment as they both smoked before he spoke again. "Aren't we good together Gwenny?" Bradley gave a look that Ginny had only ever seen perfectly mimicked once, by a disney character in Rapunzel. The smoulder.

"You mean when you weren't shagging around?" Ginny shot back. "Bradley, give it up. I'm not mad at you anymore I don't care, we're still sort of friends but that's it. We're nothing more and just a warning if you hurt any of those people on that ward I'll kill you myself. Besides I've found someone."

"Who?" Bradley straightened up like a meerkat being alerted to a noise.

"I'm not telling you because we're just-" Ginny started. "I don't have to explain myself but I'm not telling you." Ginny finished her cigarette took another large drink of gin and went back inside. She was slightly buzzing, slightly drunk and really not in the mood to be around the posh snobs in this room. She wasn't highly intelligent with a high IQ. She wasn't graceful and well spoken and she did swear a lot. She didn't belong here amongst these people.

Not like Henrik who slid right in and disappeared. Who laughed at the right times and knew how to be polite in the company they were currently in. Not like Henrik who was charming in an entirely different way, who commanded attention because he was respected not because he was ridiculous.

"I never realised you smoked." The voice in her ear made her skin tingle with anticipation that lips on her skin would follow the breath at her ear.

"I don't." Ginny replied turning around to face Henrik.

"You certainly smell like smoke." Henrik said watching her reaction closely. "I imagine you taste like it too."

"Hmmm, well there's only one way to really prove that isn't there?" Ginny replied smirking at him. "I mean if you really wanted to find out we could always get a cab."

"I don't mind if you've been smoking Guinevere." Henrik said the implication in her voice either going completely over his head or being ignored.

"Not what I meant." Guinevere replied feeling like ice water had just been poured over her. She knew Henrik wasn't the most impulsive of men but at times she wished he was. She wished he didn't get so embarrassed, so nervous, so uncomfortable and could just take that teasing a tiny bit further. "Jamie thinks I gave up, every now and then it's nice to have one though especially when stressed." Ginny added. "We've not all got silver spoons stuck up our arses that make us unable to see the fun side when a woman cocks up on stage." Ginny said a little more loudly than she'd meant too.

"Yes well, I don't think the guests were quite expectin-" Henrik started.

"Me. They weren't expecting common as muck me. Eliza fucking Dolittle eat your heart out." Ginny grabbed another flute off a tray that came around and downed the contents.

"I'd say your more Bridget-" Henrik commented Guinevere missed it because she seemed too busy staring out two older ladies by the bar who were staring at her. Staring at the tear in her dress where she was apparently flashing the whole room her large pair of lacey black knickers.

"Oh jesus." She turned around and pulled the dress back together. Henrik's lips twitched at a smile when he caught sight of it. "I want to go home and get very drunk and dance around to some ridiculous music. You're more than welcome to come along." Ginny said. "Find out if I've been smoking." She winked at him before draining another glass.

As soon as the air hit her she felt the alcohol in her system and she stumbled a little taking off her shoes and walking across the grass that was clearly not meant to be walked on. Even without shoes on she wobbled but it was Henrik who put his arm around her waist and guided her into the back of a cab, she didn't remember ordering one but clearly Henrik was more sober than she was.

 _She'd change that when they got home._

Ginny awoke in the morning to an empty bed, comfier than her own. The sheets were becoming more familiar to her as the weeks rolled by but they still weren't hers. She looked over at her dress on the chair in Henrik's bedroom. There was no way she was putting that back on and it appeared he'd taken his bathrobe downstairs with him.

So she hadn't scared him off with her drunken antics, she hadn't scared him off by getting rat arsed and taking over his CD player. Ginny groaned, the last thing she remembered was a show tune, she had no idea what it was but it was a show tune. Then- _ouch_ apparently she'd fallen over trying to _sexy dance, oh god._ How had she even gotten to bed? That was a ridiculous question Henrik had clearly coaxed her. She hoped she hadn't been too much of a monster. Despite her splitting head, which she was definitely too old for, she needed to get up. She needed to drink some water and have a strong coffee.

The problem with having Henrik as a boyfriend was that although he was 6ft 4 he was incredibly slender and Ginny was at most a size 14. Henrik's shirts did not fit for her to throw on casually, his pyjamas didn't fit and he didn't have an abundance of any kind of t-shirts around. Which was why she usually brought some form of pyjamas with her. Not last night though.

She had to route around until she found the rugby shirt he'd worn at the pre-fun run run. It was over sized on him. Long enough to cover her backside and large enough in the chest that it didn't pull tight. She tugged it on and followed her nose downstairs to find him cooking breakfast in his bathrobe and slippers.

"Ah I see our star has arisen. Perhaps breakfast before another performance?" Henrik offered with a smirk on his face that said he definitely remembered more after coming home than she did.

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A/N: Enjoyed? Leave a review! :)


	10. Chapter 10

_Disclaimer: This is fanfiction, I'm sure I don't have to give you the low down on what I own and what I don't. All the original characters are mine._

 _So I entirely rewrote this chapter in line with the way I want the fic to progress- more cheesy romantic guff. I feel no shame in saving this is incredibly cheesy, and romcom-esque._

* * *

Despite his reputation on the wards for popping up and looming around unexpectedly, Henrik had never been one for surprising people with his appearance. Especially socially. However tonight he could think of nothing nicer than surprising Guinevere and spending the evening with her. The past week had been trying for them both. Today even worse and Guinevere seemed out of sorts. Maybe she could do with the company too.

Ginny was growing increasingly uncomfortable on the ward around Frederik. She was starting to suspect that he suspected something about her and Henrik. His comments were rude, sly, aimed at seemingly trying to highlight the gaping differences between Henrik and Ginny. Twice now he'd undermined her in front of Sacha. At least once he'd tried to get her in trouble whilst Henrik was prowling around the ward. Frederik was clever, he was insulting without using any hard words. He was manipulative in a way that worried Ginny, that shook her to her centre and managed to give her a little chill regarding her relationship with Henrik.

Unaware of anything else that was going on Henrik had had a trying day regarding Fredrik. He'd tried to fool Henrik into starting the drug trial and Henrik had had to let him down. He may have been harsher with his wording than he'd liked to have been but he also made it clear he still wanted a relationship with Frederik. He wanted to get to know him, as father and son, not as boss and colleague. The problem was that Fredrik wanted something more than a relationship with him, he wanted help to further his career, regardless of the cost. That put Henrik on his guard.

Henrik's mind was a whirl with everything at the moment. He liked to keep his life delicately balanced and at the moment it felt like he was losing control with everything going on at the hospital, everything with Fredrik, his relationship with Guinevere. He was trying to juggle too many things and he was scared at some point something was going to fall.

Henrik's confidence faltered slightly as he looked down at the flowers he'd picked up from the supermarket. They were end of the day and slightly manhandled. He'd thought Guinevere would appreciate their uniqueness though. He'd never really intended to come, he'd gone home and gotten changed but then couldn't stand the weight of the day pressing down on him. The silence drilling into him everything he'd said wrong during the day, putting every tiny error on repeat in his brain over and over. He should have called, should have text. Then that wouldn't be a surprise would it?

Henrik rubbed his forehead between his fingers. Why was he so nervous? This wasn't the first time he'd been to Ginny's house. Ginny's house with it's clutter and it's nick knacks and it's mementos. So much love and feeling and life. Stark contrast to his own simple, clear and clutter free house.

"Right." He said to himself before pushing open the door, collecting the shopping off the backseat and the flowers. Henrik made his way to the door and straightened himself slightly before using the knocker. Ginny's garden had been filled with flowers that were now on the turn. Browning as the season changed. It was still awash with life though, just like her.

The door was pulled open and Henrik was greeted by a five year old girl with a mess of auburn curls piled on top of her head and a smattering of freckles across her nose and cheeks. She was dressed rather adorably in a colourful t-shirt and a pair of dungarees.

"Don't you open that door Mary!" He heard Guinevere call from inside. So this was Mary.

"Hello." Henrik said slightly taken aback, a chuckle threatening to leave him.

"Hello, my name is Mary and my favourite princess is Merida because she beats all the boys." Mary said proudly before putting a finger to her lips, looking him up and down and then saying. "Are you a giant?"

"Well hello Mary my name is Henrik." He replied feeling slightly awkward being stood on the doorstep talking to a five year old.

"Mary! What have I bloody told you about opening the door!" Guinevere came into the hallway and her face immediately broke into a smile when she saw Henrik stood there in his jumper and jeans.

"I peeped though and he doesn't look scary! He's in a smiley photo with you!" She pointed out to Ginny as though this was perfectly sound logic. "And I have my sword." Mary pulled a plastic sword out from behind her back and waved it in the air.

"I uhm-" Henrik looked at Guinevere the flowers feeling awkward and over the top in his hands now.

"Are they for me? They're very pretty." Mary said tilting her head almost upside down to get a better look at the flowers.

"Mary, let him come in, come on. Go back in the living room. I'll bring you some biscuits in a minute." Ginny said ushering Mary out of the way and beckoning Henrik in.

"Sorry, I just thought- you said you had the evening to yourself- I thought I'd surprise you." Henrik looked around trying to decide whether to run out the door or stay and move further into the house.

"I was supposed to be having the evening to myself but Alfie is on duty and Jamie has had to pull a double shift so I said munchkin mitts could stay over." Ginny replied. "You don't have to stay you know, if you don't want. I won't mind." Ginny said noticing how nervous he seemed. "Mary can be a bit of a handful."

"I would expect nothing less from your granddaughter." Henrik finally said a smile breaking out over his face as he seemed to relax a little.

"And he's back." Ginny teased. "I'm starting to wish Mary was at home now. I've told you before haven't I, how much I like you in a sweater?" Ginny watched his cheeks colour a little and grinned to herself, there was nothing more fun than making him blush. Henrik cleared his throat and held up the plastic bag of shopping.

"Have you had dinner?" Henrik asked holding up the bag.

"We're making pizzzzaaaaaaaaa." Mary sing songed putting her head back around the door. "Come on Nana I've got to beat you at the last one! Daddy taught me some new moves." She said wiggling her little body.

"I thought you didn't cook?" Henrik asked raising a brow as though Guinevere was keeping secrets from him.

"I don't cook, pizza is hardly cooking. I didn't make the dough and you just throw everything else on top." Ginny replied. "Hardly cooking." She said pressing a kiss to the corner of Henrik's mouth.

"Nannnaaaaaa." Mary sing songed from the living room.

"All right bossy britches!" Ginny replied. "Do you want to make yourself a drink whilst I finish this game with her." Ginny said. "Or poor the wine."

Ginny and Mary came into the kitchen before Henrik had finished storing what he'd bought in the fridge. He put the wine in there too, along with some cider he'd picked up.

"Are you going to make Pizza too?" Mary asked Henrik scrambling up onto a stool at the kitchen island. "Are you going to make a giant one? I think a me sized one would be too small for you. How did you get so tall? Were you stretched? Did you come down a beanstalk? Oooohhh do you have lots of gold?" Mary asked the questions quickly one after the other and Henrik laughed not sure what to answer first.

"You know who you sound like?" Ginny asked her granddaughter. Mary looked at her batting big green eyes innocently. "Dory!" Ginny said. Henrik didn't get the reference but clearly Mary did because she giggled.

"I'm only asssskkkiinnnnggg." Mary said winding a curl around her fingers.

"Hmmm, Henrik is not a giant." Ginny said.

"He is though. He's GIANT!" Mary emphasized the word and looked at Henrik with a smile.

"I think a normal sized pizza will do just fine and no I wasn't stretched. I ate all my vegetables and listened to my grandparents, that's how I got so tall." Henrik said gently. Guinevere mouthed I'm sorry at him but Henrik didn't want her to be sorry at all. Mary was delightfully amusing.

"Hands misses." Ginny said lifting Mary over the sink so she could wash her hands.

"I take it you have toppings?" Henrik asked peering into the fridge. "What are you going to have Mary?"

"Uhmmm, I haven't decided yet. I like pepperoni and olives and ham and bacon and chicken and peppers and salad and uhhhmmmm I like cheese and tomato sauce and uhm uhm uhm-" Mary trailed off putting a finger to her lips.

"And you think you could eat all that on a pizza?" Henrik asked as Guinevere nudged him out of the way.

"I think so, I'm reallllllyyyyyy hungry and my belly can get big." Mary said pushing out her belly and rubbing it. Ginny starting piling packets up on the side and some various vegetables. Pulling a tube of puree from the back of the fridge and the dough.

"Are you Nana Innie's boyfriend?" Mary suddenly asked and Guinevere sucked in a breath, her head still in the fridge. She wanted the damn thing to swallow her whole. Even though they had been seeing each other, even though she could swear she was falling in love with Henrik they'd never discussed labels. The question took Henrik by surprise, they hadn't discussed labels but he supposed that was what they were. He supposed in the simplest terms he was her boyfriend, she was his girlfriend. Those labels didn't seem strong enough though. Not for the way he felt about her.

"Well I suppose I am yes. Is that alright by you?" Henrik asked looking down at her.

"Hmmmmm, let's see how you make pizza first." Mary said tearing off a chunk of dough in her little fists and starting to roll it. "Can you give me some flour." She said pointing to a bag that Ginny had put on the table. Ginny was still busy trying to compose herself and pretending to look in the fridge. Despite the fact she'd held her breath, felt her heart stop for a moment, she was grinning like an idiot and trying to compose herself.

"I think that's agreeable." Henrik said to Mary.

"Aprons before you start please." Guinevere said taking three aprons off a hook that seemed to be filled with them.

"Thank you." Henrik said taking a floral one and putting it on.

"Peppa Pig please Nana." Mary said pointing to the choice of two that Ginny held up for her. As soon as the apron was tied around her waist Mary was straight in, rolling out the dough in a messy way and then starting to put things onto it. Clearly it wasn't the first time they'd done this.

Ginny couldn't stop her gaze from keep drifting over to Henrik's forearms, shirt sleeves rolled up, as he kneaded dough, moved it between his deft fingers. She couldn't help images of his hands on her, his fingers digging into her flesh, muscle memory making her stomach flutter.

"DONE!" Mary shouted and the spell was broken. Ginny was brought rocketing back into the present.

Once Pizza had been cooked and eaten, Mary decided it was time to watch a film, which she fell asleep halfway through. Her head falling onto Henrik's arm at some point. Rejecting Nana for the new person in the house. Guinevere carried her up to bed, tucked her in and kissed her goodnight then returned downstairs to find Henrik with his back to the kitchen door washing up. Sleeves drawn up to his elbows again.

"What are you doing washing up?" Ginny asked walking into the kitchen and coming to stand behind him, leaning against the kitchen island.

"I thought I'd make myself useful." Henrik replied, turning as he dried his hands and leaning against the sink.

"Perfect house guest, you can come again." Ginny teased hopping up onto the island. "Did I compliment you on this devilishly handsome jumper jeans combination?" Ginny asked tugging him forward by the neck of his jumper. Henrik felt anticipation wind it's away around his nervous system as it often did when Guinevere had that coy look in her eyes.

"I think I vaguely remember you saying something before." Henrik said moving closer to her, sliding his hand along her neck and cupping her cheek.

"You do look incredibly handsome, perhaps more than when you're in a suit" Ginny replied leaning a little closer and arching a brow in a way that made Henrik's spine dance with anticipation. Her legs wrapping around his waist, heels digging gently into his thighs. "Imagine if you dressed like this at work, I don't think anyone would get any work done." She suggested, pulling her bottom lip between her teeth in a way that drove him slightly mad.

"What about Mary?" Henrik asked his lips millimetres from hers. Anticipation thrummed in every inch of Ginny's body as she slid her hands up to his neck and replied.

"She's fast asleep." She tugged just a fraction, pulling Henrik into a heated kiss, fusing their bodies together and feeling a firm hand on her thigh, which moved around to the small of her back to press them together more firmly. Other hand cradling the back of her head, deepening the kiss, letting the world and the worries of the day disappear completely

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A/N: Enjoyed? Leave a review! :)


	11. Chapter 11

_Disclaimer: This is fanfiction, I'm sure I don't have to give you the low down on what I own and what I don't. All the original characters are mine._

 _So I'm going to really move this along in the next few chapters. We all know what led to Fredrik doing what he did so I don't think I need to fill in the blanks there and I really want to start delving into Henrik's current mental state._

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Henrik awoke in the morning to find that the bed had acquired an extra person at some point during the night. Suddenly Henrik had flashes of what his life could have been like had he not absconded at twenty-five. The feeling, that ball of anxiety rose thick and fast in his throat threatening to close it off. Instead of running from it though he tried to fight it, to ignore it. He didn't want to run away from it. He didn't want to run away from this.

Though he wouldn't admit it to himself Henrik was beginning to fall in love with Guinevere and he wanted to be part of this. He had felt so at home, so normal, so whole last night. When Mary had fallen asleep on his arm, when he'd carried her up to bed, he hadn't felt so disconnected from the world. He hadn't felt so estranged from everything. He'd felt a part of a family again. Lying there in bed with Guinevere felt like he'd been doing it for years, felt like he'd miss the scent of her body lotion and shampoo as she pressed at least one body part too him in the night, like she was scared he'd disappear.

It gave Henrik hope, that he wasn't so distant from his own family. That he could function as part of one. He could be grandad to his grandchild and if Fredrik would listen he could be a father to him. He would have to be wary though because Fredrik seemed to want more than just a familiar relationship.

Mary snuffled in the bed. She was curled up next to Guinevere who was curled up with her back to him. Mary sat up yawning and rubbing her eyes. She looked around for a minute seeming to get her bearings and then her eyes landed on Henrik.

"Good morning." Henrik whispered. Mary rubbed her eyes again and yawned before looking down at Ginny who was still asleep. She looked so peaceful asleep and Henrik wanted her to get the rest knowing she was on shift later. Mary had reached over to Ginny's bedside table and retrieved the remote control for Ginny's television. She was pressing buttons when Henrik took it from her.

"Why don't we go and get some breakfast?" He suggested quietly. "You can watch the television downstairs?" He suggested. Mary looked down at Guinevere, rubbed her eyes again and then nodded.

Henrik noticed that Mary was not as confident first thing in a morning as she had been the night before. Even to the point she held his hand going down the stairs after he'd disappeared into the bathroom and changed back into his jeans and jumper.

"That looks nice Henry." Mary said as Henrik topped off his porridge with some pieces of fruit. She was nursing the two pieces of toast he'd made her as she watched him make his own breakfast. Henrik didn't correct her on his name, she couldn't quite wrap her mouth around it and Henry was easier for her to say, which was fine by him.

"Do you want to try some?" Henrik offered. Mary nodded and Henrik nudged the bowl over to her. "Remember to blow it's hot." He gestured to the spoon and Mary did just that before taking a bite.

"That's really realllllyyy nice." She said looking between the porridge and her toast.

"Shall I make some more?" Henrik asked raising a brow and Mary gave him a shy nod and a little please. "I'll make some more then, you can eat that one when it's cooled down."

"I'm glad you're Nana's boyfriend Henry because your nice and you can cook and I think you make her really, really happy." Mary said whilst watching him cut more fruit up. A smile spread across Henrik's face at the revelation and his heart seemed to flutter in his chest. Approval from Mary felt like an approval of the highest honour. "And even if you are a giant I think you're a nice one." She said before starting to eat her own breakfast again.

By the time Guinevere came downstairs Henrik and Mary had almost finished their breakfasts. Mary's two uneaten pieces of toast were soon wolfed down by Ginny who then looked at the time and started to panic about being late for work. There was still no word from Jamie and Ginny was supposed to be handing Mary over to him at list half an hour before her shift started at the hospital.

Once Mary was ready and dressed, including bow and arrow, she was strapped into the back of the car and they were ready to go. Ginny waved Henrik off and then set off herself from the house, having to come back five minutes after setting off to make sure she'd turned the tap off.

Henrik had what some might consider a spring in his step as he made his way up to his office. He had a smile for almost all of the staff this morning and anyone who knew him might have been suspicious. Sacha, who'd shared the lift with him noticed but knowing what might have caused that smile he refrained from commenting on it. It was nice to see him with a smile on his face considering how much pressure he'd been facing from the hospital recently.

In his distracted state Henrik hadn't picked up the coffee he wanted from the cafe and so he was going to have to venture back down there. He considered stopping by Keller on his way down but decided instead that he'd call in on the way back off and drop a cappuccino off for Guinevere. When Henrik arrived on the ground floor though he was accosted by a child, not just any child, Mary, clinging to his legs with a tear stained face.

"Sorry, we're looking for mum." A harassed looking barrister came over to try and move Mary along but she was having none of it and turned into Henrik's legs.

"Dads!" Mary barked from behind his legs.

"She's being a little difficult won't tell us mum or dads name." The barrister, not the usual chipper child friendly woman, repeated.

"That's perfectly all right. I know exactly who her father is." Henrik replied. "I'll take a coffee and-" Henrik paused crouching down to talk to Mary. "Would you like some juice?" Henrik asked gesturing to the cabinet that contained a selection of kids drinks. Mary nodded and pointed. "And this-" Henrik said. "Now, what are you doing down here on your own?" Henrik asked her Mary looked sheepishly at him and swayed from side to side.

"Well, Nana told me to stay in this room and I was and I was drawing but then I didn't have enough paper and I went out to find her and then there was a woman with all this blood all over her so I ran away and then I got lost and didn't know how to get back." Mary said without pausing for breath.

"Then I suppose we should get you back to her shouldn't we?" Henrik said softly twisting the top of the juice bottle for her so she could have a drink.

"Are you sure you know the way?" Mary asked him.

"Absolutely positive." Henrik replied. He started to walk away and Mary quickly followed him, grabbing at his hand as they walked towards the lift.

When they arrived on the ward there were raised voices near the nurses station.

"Jamie she won't have gone far. She was in the staffroom." Ginny said reassuringly. "She's a clever girl, she'll be sat reading somewhere."

"Unless she's gotten into theatre." Fredrik replied deadpan and Ginny turned to stare at him, he shrugged and started to walk away leaving that thought starting to roll around Jamie's head.

"She won't have gotten into theatre, we've told security someone will have taken her to a staffroom." Sacha said trying to sound reassuring.

"Dadddddyyyyyyyy!" Mary shouted letting go of Henrik's hand and running over to Jamie who scooped her up in his arms.

"Where have you been?" Jamie asked kissing her all over her face.

"Henry bought me juice." Mary grinned gesturing to Henrik. Jamie and Sacha looked around a little shocked. Ginny was grinning from ear to ear. "He's really good at making breakfast too Daddy. I had this, this porridge and it had all these berries in it but Nana didn't get any because she was still asleep." Mary smiled.

Ginny stopped in her tracks, Sacha snorted out a laugh, Henrik's lips tightened and he seemed to blush. Jamie looked to Mary slowly asking her to repeat what she'd said.

Ginny wanted the goddamn floor to swallow her whole. Sacha of course knew, he'd known for a while but she'd not wanted to tell Jamie for a while and as for the nurses who'd been in earshot. Her gaze flicked up to Henrik who looked flustered, looked slightly panicked and unsure how to react. He rocked on the balls of his heels, hands behind his back and Ginny had the horrible feeling he was going to run and leave her in this mess.

"Daddy why are you being silly." Mary said shaking her head. "Nana, was sleepy so Henry made me breakfast. First he made me toast but then I saw his porridge and he let me have some." Mary explained again as though it were all very simple. Jamie put her down slowly and Sacha took her hand gesturing for her to follow him to the staff room. Before she went anywhere with him though she ran back over to Henrik and gave him a huge cuddle. Looking up at him with a big smile on her face.

"Thank you for the juice Mr Henry." She said.

"You are most welcome." Henrik replied ruffling her hair with his hand as Fredrik looked on jealously.

"You and him?" Jamie said, Ginny drew her gaze from Henrik and back to Jamie.

"Well-" She looked towards Henrik for some sort of help.

"Yes. Well- we're all adults but I'll give you some space." Henrik replied. Ginny shot him a look that said coward. She was going to be having words about that later.

"So he's what's put the smile on your face. Him?" Jamie asked sounding entirely flabbergasted.

"Jamie, I'm on shift let's talk about this later okay." Ginny replied.

"Oh, we will! I want to know everything. I didn't think you were good at keeping secrets anymore but now I'm kind of pissed that Sacha Levy knew before I did." Jamie teased her, softening the blow and watching his mother squirm awkwardly. "I'm glad he makes you happy though mum." Jamie said pulling her into a hug before heading into the staffroom.

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A/N: Enjoyed? Leave a review! :)


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